Abstract
<p style="text-align:justify">Purpose in life is a key construct in the development of young adults, particularly college students. There are many instruments measuring sense of purpose in life, but few studies have examined their measurement properties among college students. The current study compares the measurement invariance properties of the Purpose in Life (PIL) scale and the Claremont Purpose Scale (CPS) across college year and undergraduate school. Using both a unidimensional and a two-dimensional model, we found that the PIL’s interpretability is limited among college students. Using a three-dimensional model, the CPS was invariant with respect to both grouping variables. The study suggests that the CPS can be used to make meaningful comparisons among college students categorized by school year and undergraduate school. The study also has some implications about the construct of purpose in life; namely, scale structures that work well statistically and theoretically among adults might not generalize to young adults.</p>
Highlights
Purpose in life, an aim that inspires life goals and provides a sense of meaning (McKnight & Kashdan, 2009), is a fundamental human motivation that drives and directs behavior (Frankl, 2006)
We found that PIL15 did not load on the purpose factor for all four groups, items (I am responsible), and 16 did not load on the purpose factor for juniors and seniors, item 8 did not load on the purpose factor among sophomores and seniors, and items 7 (Activity after retirement) and 18 (Life internally/externally determined) did not load on the purpose factor among seniors
The current study investigated the measurement invariance of instruments measuring purpose with respect to college year and school
Summary
An aim that inspires life goals and provides a sense of meaning (McKnight & Kashdan, 2009), is a fundamental human motivation that drives and directs behavior (Frankl, 2006). It is a central outcome in positive psychology, as it is associated with various positive mental and physical outcomes (e.g., Blattner et al, 2013; Kim et al, 2020). That a sense of purpose in life is an important part of development, in early adulthood
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
