Multidimensional Fatalism Scale for General Life Events – Chinese Version

Description

Fatalism, or fatalistic views, is a prevalent worldview in human society, defined as “a belief that life is the result of ‘destiny,’ where events in life are beyond personal control.” This belief that certain things are “predestined to happen” has existed for a long time in European Greek philosophy as well as in Eastern philosophical thoughts in India and China. In ancient Chinese texts, such as the “Analects,” there is a saying, “Life and death are destined; wealth and nobility are decided by heaven.” The concept of fatalism gradually permeated from its initial forms in totems, myths, religion, and philosophy into people’s daily lives, profoundly impacting their behaviors and thoughts.

Authors and Contact Email

The scale was developed by Zhang Xiang and Zuo Bin.

Purpose

The purpose of the Multidimensional Fatalism Scale for General Life Events, abbreviated as MFSG, is to measure individuals’ levels of fatalistic beliefs in various life events.

Test Year

The scale was created in 2018.

Administration Method and Scoring

The MFSG contains a total of 16 items, which are scored on a 5-point Likert scale, where 1 represents “strongly disagree” (完全不同意) and 5 represents “strongly agree” (完全同意). Higher scores indicate a higher level of fatalistic belief.

Reliability and Validity

The revised Chinese version of the scale has demonstrated good reliability and validity.

Factors and Subscales

The scale includes three dimensions:
– 先定 (Predetermination)
– 运气 (Luck)
– 悲观 (Pessimism)

Keywords

Fatalism, Multidimensional Fatalism Scale, life events, Chinese psychology, psychological measurement.

Items in Chinese

1. 先定 (Predetermination) Items: #1–10
2. 运气 (Luck) Items: #11–14
3. 悲观 (Pessimism) Items: #15–20

Items in English

1. Predetermination: Items #1–10
2. Luck: Items #11–14
3. Pessimism: Items #15–20

References

张翔;佐斌;赵燕.宿命观量表中文版修订及信效度检验[J].中国临床心理学杂志,2018,26(05):914-917.DOI:10.16128/j.cnki.1005-3611.2018.05.017
倪源源.癌症患者的社会支持、生命意义感与宿命观的关系及心理干预建议[D].华中师范大学,2021.DOI:10.27159/d.cnki.ghzsu.2021.003158
彭雪昱.自杀行为问卷-修订版的中文修订及应用[D].华中师范大学,2020.DOI:10.27159/d.cnki.ghzsu.2020.004276
Brandy Piña-Watson, Ana F. Abraído-Lanza. The intersection of Fatalismo and pessimism on depressive symptoms and suicidality of Mexican descent adolescents: an attribution perspective[J]. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 2016, 23(1).DOI:10.1037/cdp0000115.