History
The PIL test (Purpose in Life Test) was developed by American psychologists James C. Crumbaugh and Leonard T. Maholick in 1964. It was the first attempt to measure the will to meaning and the existential vacuum empirically. Research using it confirmed that noogenic neurosis is a phenomenon distinct from other disorders.
Structure
The test has three parts:
- A - 20 statements rated on a 7-point scale (e.g. “I am usually: completely bored - exuberant, enthusiastic”),
- B - sentence completion,
- C - a short essay about life goals and plans.
Part A is usually scored quantitatively (20 to 140 points). A higher score means a stronger sense of meaning.
In Poland
The Polish adaptation was prepared by Zygfryd Płużek (Catholic University of Lublin), which made the test widely used in Polish psychology.
Related tests
- SONG (Seeking of Noetic Goals, Crumbaugh, 1977) - measures the motivation to look for meaning; a low PIL with a high SONG predicts a good response to logotherapy,
- Logo-Test (Elisabeth Lukas),
- MLQ (Meaning in Life Questionnaire, M. Steger, 2006),
- Noo-Dynamics Test (K. Popielski),
- Logo Przestrzeń Sense of Meaning Test.
Sources
Wikipedia: Logotherapy; Noogenic neurosis; J. Crumbaugh, L. Maholick (1964).