
By DR. MELANIE CABRERA
The Purpose in Life Test (PIL)
Write the number (1 to 5) next to each statement that is most true for you right now.
Items | Rate each item from 1 to 7 | |
1. I am usually: | 1—-2—-3—-4—-5—-6—-7 bored enthusiastic | |
2. Life seems to me: | completely routine; | always exciting. |
3. In life I have: | no goals or aims; | clear goals and aims. |
4. My personal existence is: | utterly meaningless, without purpose | purposeful and meaningful. |
5. Every day is: | exactly the same; | constantly new and different. |
6. If I could choose, I would: | prefer to never have been born; | want 9 more lives just like this one. |
7. After retiring, I would: | loaf completely the rest of my life | do some of the exciting things I’ve always wanted to |
8. In achieving life goals I’ve: | made no progress whatever | progressed to complete fulfillment |
9. My life is: | empty, filled only with despair | running over with exciting things |
10. If I should die today, I’d feel that my life has been: | completely worthless | very worthwhile |
11. In thinking of my life, I: | often wonder why I exist | always see reasons for being here |
12. As I view the world in relation to my life, the world: | completely confuses me | fits meaningfully with my life |
13. I am a: | very irresponsible person | very responsible person |
14. Concerning freedom to choose, I believe humans are: | completely bound by limitations of heredity and environment | totally free to make all life choices |
15. With regard to death, I am: | unprepared and frightened | prepared and unafraid |
16. Regarding suicide, I have: | thought of it seriously as a way out | never given it a second thought |
17. I regard my ability to find a purpose or mission in life as: | practically none | very great |
18. My life is: | out of my hands and controlled by external factors | in my hands and I’m in control of it |
19. Facing my daily tasks is: | a painful and boring experience | a source of pleasure and satisfaction |
20. I have discovered: | no mission or purpose in life | a satisfying life purpose |
Scoring: Add up all the scores for each item (20-100). A score of less than 50 may indicate that you are experiencing significant “existential concerns” in your life.*