Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI)
Psychology: PersonalityReliability: alphas 0.74–0.82 across 5 factors5 sample items
About this scale
A 56-item measure of five time perspectives: past-positive, past-negative, present-hedonistic, present-fatalistic, and future. Predicts goal-pursuit, well-being, and risk behaviour.
Sample item(s)
“I get nostalgic about my childhood (past-positive)”
“Painful past experiences keep being replayed in my mind (past-negative)”
“I do things impulsively (present-hedonistic)”
“Fate determines much in my life (present-fatalistic)”
“I am able to resist temptations when I know that there is work to be done (future)”
Reliability
Reported internal consistency: alphas 0.74–0.82 across 5 factors. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.
Notes
Free for academic use; ZTPI-15 short form available.
Source & citation
Zimbardo, P. G., & Boyd, J. N. (1999): Putting time in perspective: A valid, reliable individual-differences metric. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 77, No. 6, pp. 1271–1288.
Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.
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