| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Description | The Future Time Perspective (FTP) Inventory, developed by Heimberg in 1963, is a self-report measure designed to assess attitudes about whether the future is predictable, structured, and controllable. Initially comprising 49 items derived from literature and previous studies, the inventory underwent factor analysis to identify 5 key factors: Articulation with the Flow of Time, Optimistic Mastery, Degree of Future Structure, Time-Mindedness, and Rejection of Fatalism. Items were selected based on their loading on the first unrotated centroid, resulting in a final 25-item scale. Coefficient alpha for internal consistency was .86, validated using undergraduate and military personnel samples. The inventory’s construct validity was confirmed through significant correlations with theoretically relevant measures and behavioral syndromes. |
| Author | Heimberg, Laura Kagen |
| Affiliation | Vanderbilt University |
| Purpose | To assess attitudes about whether the future is predictable, structured, and controllable. |
| Construct | Future Perspective |
| Instrument Type | Inventory/Questionnaire |
| Format | Items are rated on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from “completely disagree” to “completely agree.” |
| Administration Method | Paper |
| Test Items Available | No (To access the test items, contact the publisher.) |
| Number of Items | The inventory contains 25 items. |
| Reliability | Internal consistency for the inventory is high, with a coefficient alpha of .86 for the 25 highest-loading items. |
| Validity | The inventory demonstrated significant correlations with theoretically relevant symbolic systems and behavioral syndromes, including measures of locus of control, anomie, delinquency, and anxiety. Correlations among these ranged from .22 to .79, with a mean of .44. |
| Factor Analysis | Factor analysis identified 5 main factors in the inventory. |
| Test Methodology | Test Validity; Construct Validity; Test Reliability; Internal Consistency |
| Age Group | Adulthood (18 yrs & older) |
| Population Group | Human; Male; Female |
| Population Details | Sample: Enlisted Military Men and College Students; Location: United States |
| Keywords | Construct Validity; Future Time Perspective Inventory; Internal Consistency; Test Development |
| Index Terms | Construct Validity; Factor Structure; Future; Internal Consistency; Test Construction; Test Reliability; Test Validity; Time Perspective |
| Reference | Heimberg, L. K. (1963). The measurement of future time perspective. Dissertation Abstracts, 24(4), 1686–1687. |
Cite this article
Mohammed looti (2026). Future Time Perspective Inventory. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Retrieved from https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/future-time-perspective-inventory/
Mohammed looti. "Future Time Perspective Inventory." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 4 Apr. 2026, https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/future-time-perspective-inventory/.
Mohammed looti. "Future Time Perspective Inventory." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 2026. https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/future-time-perspective-inventory/.
Mohammed looti (2026) 'Future Time Perspective Inventory', PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Available at: https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/future-time-perspective-inventory/.
[1] Mohammed looti, "Future Time Perspective Inventory," PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, vol. X, no. Y, ص Z-Z, April, 2026.
Mohammed looti. Future Time Perspective Inventory. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. 2026;vol(issue):pages.