Aspiration Index (AI)
Measures the relative importance and perceived likelihood of attaining various intrinsic and extrinsic life goals.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Aspiration Index (AI) was developed by Tim Kasser & Richard M. Ryan (1996). It is designed to measure Intrinsic and Extrinsic Aspirations. The scale is intended for use with Adults and adolescents.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 42 items organized into 7 factors/subscales: Self-Acceptance, Affiliation, Community Feeling, Physical Health, Financial Success, Attractive Appearance, Social Recognition.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Self-Acceptance | 8,16,21,23,35 | 5 |
| Affiliation | 9,14,18,20,26,30,40 | 7 |
| Community Feeling | 6,11,19,27,32,39 | 6 |
| Physical Health | 1,7,13,17,24,31,36 | 7 |
| Financial Success | 4,12,25,34,37 | 5 |
| Attractive Appearance | 3,10,22,28,33,42 | 6 |
| Social Recognition | 2,5,15,29,38,41 | 6 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Not at all important / Very low chance, 2 = A little important / Low chance, 3 = Moderately important / 50/50 chance, 4 = Pretty important / High chance, 5 = Very important / Very high chance.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 5 to 35. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low aspiration strength: 5 – 15
- Moderate aspiration strength: 16 – 25
- High aspiration strength: 26 – 35
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha ranges from .72 to .89 across subscales.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.