Analysis and Purpose of the Scale

The Personal Meaning Profile (PMP-21) was developed by Paul Wong in 1998 and is a psychometric tool designed to measure individuals’ perceptions of meaning in life.

Question Calibration

The PMP-21 consists of 21 statements that evaluate seven sources of life meaning:
Achievement
Relationships
Religion
Self-Transcendence
Self-Acceptance
Intimacy
Fair Treatment
Each of these seven sources is assessed through 3 items. Participants respond to the 21 statements using a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (Not at all) to 7 (Very much so), depending on the extent to which they believe each statement characterizes their life. A higher total score indicates greater success in achieving a personally meaningful life.

Statistical Analysis

A total personal meaning score is calculated by summing the scores of all 21 items, yielding a possible score range from 21 to 147. Additionally, each of the seven meaning sources has its own subscore, calculated by summing the scores of its three corresponding items, with each subscale ranging from 3 to 21.

Validity and Reliability

Researchers use the PMP-21 in various contexts, as it provides both an overall index of personal meaning and detailed scores across seven distinct sources of meaning. The overall Cronbach’s alpha for internal consistency is 0.93, and subscale alphas range from 0.54 to 0.91, indicating acceptable to excellent reliability.

Reference

Wong, P. T. (1998). Implicit theories of meaningful life and the development of the personal meaning profile. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.