The Life Engagement Test: Assessing Purpose in Life
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This article describes a 6-item scale, the Life Engagement Test, designed to measure purpose in life, defined in terms of the extent to which a person engages in activities that are personally valued. Psychometric data are presented including information about the scale's factor structure, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, discriminant predictive validity, and norms. The data suggest that the Life Engagement Test is psychometrically sound across different gender, age, and ethnic groups and is appropriate for wider use. Discussion centers on the use of the Life Engagement Test in behavioral medicine and health psychology research and recent associations that have begun to emerge between the scale and health-relevant outcomes.
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Scheier and colleagues' self-regulation model of purpose holds that effort and progress toward a purpose maximize well-being.
“This self-regulation model of purpose by Scheier and colleagues suggests that it is effort and progress toward a purpose that maximizes the generation of well-being.”
From Commitment to a purpose in life: An antidote to the suffering by individuals with social anxiety disorder. (2013) · cites this paper as Scheier et al., 2006
The Engaged Living Scale (ELS) and Life Engagement Test (LET) each include items to measure motivation and reward, life fulfillment, and value-based living.
“the Engaged Living Scale (ELS) and Life Engagement Test (LET) each include items to measure motivation and reward, life fulfillment, and value-based living [22, 23].”
From Patient-reported outcome measures for life engagement in mental health: a systematic review (2022) · cites this paper as [23]
The Life Engagement Test (LET) measures purpose in life.
“The LET [23] measures purpose in life.”
From Patient-reported outcome measures for life engagement in mental health: a systematic review (2022) · cites this paper as [23]
In a general non-clinical sample, university students, and a variety of clinical (non-mental health) samples, the LET showed acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.72-0.87), moderately stable test-retest reliability (r = 0.61-0.76), and construct validity based on correlations with depression (r = −0.33 to −0.49) and mental health (r = 0.32-0.49).
“In a general non-clinical sample, university students, and a variety of clinical (non-mental health) samples, the LET showed acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.72–0.87), moderately stable test–retest reliability (r = 0.61–0.76), and construct validity based on correlations with other psychosocial measures including depression (r = − 0.33 to − 0.49) and mental health (r = 0.32–0.49)”
From Patient-reported outcome measures for life engagement in mental health: a systematic review (2022) · cites this paper as [23]
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- Authors
- Scheier, M. F., Wrosch, C., Baum, A., Cohen, S., Martire, L. M., Matthews, K. A., Schulz, R., & Zdaniuk, B.
- Affiliations
- Carnegie Mellon University (US)
- Concordia University (CA)
- University of Pittsburgh (US)
- Corresponding author
- Scheier, Michael F.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of Behavioral Medicine
- Published
- 2006-03-24
- Volume
- 29
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 291-298
- ISSN
- 0160-7715 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-3521
- OpenAlex
- W2098156554
- Cited by
- 539
- References
- 45
- Citations by year
- 2026: 36 · 2025: 51 · 2024: 52 · 2023: 35 · 2022: 42 · 2021: 48 · 2020: 44 · 2019: 45 · 2018: 38 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 23 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 22 · 2013: 21 · 2012: 13
- FWCI
- 6.90
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- figshare.com
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Behavioral Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- KiltHub Repository (submittedVersion)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- KiltHub Repository
- Funders
- University of Pittsburgh
- Carnegie Mellon University
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (HL65111, HL65112, HL76852, P50HL065112, R24HL076852, HL76858, R24HL076858, P50HL065111)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Optimism, Hope, and Well-being
- Keywords
- meaning of life, scale development, psychometric properties, factor structure, convergent validity, discriminant validity, test-retest reliability, internal consistency, reference values, health psychology, behavioral medicine, health outcomes
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Ethnicity, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Psychometrics, Quality of Life, Surveys and Questionnaires, Social Behavior
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