Pearlin Mastery Scale – PMS
Measures personal mastery, defined as the extent to which individuals perceive themselves as having control over their own lives.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Pearlin Mastery Scale – PMS was developed by Leonard I. Pearlin & Carmi Schooler (1978). It is designed to measure Personal Mastery. The scale is intended for use with General adult population.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 7 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Strongly Agree, 2 = Somewhat Agree, 3 = Somewhat Disagree, 4 = Strongly Disagree.
The scale includes 2 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 7 to 28. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Mastery: 7 – 13
- Moderate Mastery: 14 – 21
- High Mastery: 22 – 28
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Not mentioned in source text.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 2 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.