The PIL-test To Evaluate The Meaning Of Life

The meaning of life represents one of the central points of logotherapy. According to this discipline, it is the primordial need of any human being. An aspect closely associated with the motivation we feel towards our own existence. The PIL-test, today’s topic, is a questionnaire that aims to evaluate the achievement of the meaning of life.

It was the psychiatrist Viktor Frankl who founded and developed speech therapy. After spending several years as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps, this author discovered that the meaning that each of us gives to life pushes us to move forward despite the most adverse circumstances.

It is a primary need, as it is what makes us perceive life as rich in value and that makes us face any adverse situation. Precisely this awareness of the meaning of life is what is promoted by the PIL-test.

The PIL-test: a life goal

The PIL-test (Purpose in Life Test) is an evaluation tool consisting of 20 items. The patient responds on a likert-type scale, ranging from 1 to 7, in progression ascending.

The scores of each statement are then added together, identifying the weight of the meaning of life proper to each person. The test analyzes 4 main factors:

• The perception of meaning. It measures the individual’s assessment of life and to what extent he finds reasons to live it.

• Experience the meaning of life. Evaluate whether the person perceives life as full of beautiful things.

• Goals and objectives: analyzes the individual’s goals and personal responsibility towards them.

• Destiny / Freedom dialectic. It analyzes the attitude towards death, experienced as something fearful and uncontrollable.

Items of the PIL-test evaluation questionnaire

1. I usually feel: 1 (absolutely bored) to 7 (excited, enthusiastic)
2. My life seems to me: from 1 (absolutely monotonous) to 7 (always exciting)
3. In life I have: 1 (no goals or goals) to 7 (many goals and goals defined)
4. My personal life is: 1 (meaningless and without goals) to 7 (full of meaning and goals)
5. Each day is: 1 (exactly the same as the previous one) to 7 (always new and different)
6. If I could choose: 1 (I would never have been born) to 7 (I would have nine more lives like this one)
7. Once retired: 1 (I’d idle all day) to 7 (I’d do the exciting things I’ve always wanted to do)
8. Regarding my life goals: 1 (I was unable to make progress) to 7 (I feel absolutely satisfied)
9. My life is: 1 (empty and full of despair) to 7 (a set of beautiful and exciting events)
10. If I died today, I would say my life was: 1 (a total disaster) to 7 (rich in value)

Second part of the PIL-test:

1. Thinking about my life: from 1 (I often wonder why I was born) to 7 (I always find a valid reason to live)
2. As I see it in relation to my life, the world: 1 (completely confuses me) to 7 (significantly adapts to my life)
3. I consider myself: 1 (an irresponsible person) to 7 (a very responsible person)
4. As for the freedom we enjoy to make our choices, I believe that man is: from 1 (absolutely slave to the limits of tradition and context) to 7 (absolutely free to make his own life choices)
5. Regarding death, they are: 1 (I am not prepared and it terrifies me) to 7 (I feel prepared and I am not afraid)
6. Compared to suicide: 1 (I took it seriously to get out of my situation) to 7 (I never wasted even a moment thinking about it)
7. I believe my ability to find meaning, purpose in life is: 1 (practically nothing) to 7 (very strong)

And to conclude…

1. My life is: 1 (escapes my control and depends on external factors) to 7 (in my hands and under my control)
2. Confronting my daily duties represents for me: 1 (a painful and boring experience) to 7 (a source of pleasure and satisfaction)
3. I found: 1 (no mission or life purpose) to 7 (clear goals and one goal that gives me a fulfilling life)

Interpretation of results

Considering a maximum of 140 points, it is concluded that those who score less than 90 experience a total state of existential emptiness. On the other hand, those who get a score from 90 to 105 demonstrate that they have an indefinite concept of the meaning of life. And finally, those who pass the score of 105 on the GDP test are counting on clear goals and the ability to make sense of life.

The latter is unique and personal to each of us, and changes over the course of life. It is our task to discover, in a very personal way, that motivation that gives meaning to our days.