Psychosocial Inventory of Ego Strengths (PIES)

Markstrom et al‚ 1997
 
1.    I find I can easily be distracted even when I really need to finish a task.
2.    I feel OK with the way I’ve handled my life so far.
3.    I have experienced feelings of love with someone outside of my family.
4.    When I see someone with a need‚ I help in whatever way I am able.
5.    I really don’t know what strengths or skills I have to offer society.
6.    I am involved in a variety of activities that allow me to use my skills and abilities.
7.    I don’t think I have really loved anyone outside of my family.
8.    When things don’t go my way‚ I remind myself of the positive things in my life.
9.    I don’t really know what I want out of life.
10.When I know someone is ha‎ving a difficult time‚ I really feel concerned about them.
11.When I make a commitment to something‚ I stick with it.
12.In many ways‚ I have control over my future.
13.I don’t pretend to be something that I am not.
14.I’m afraid of what might happen to me in the future.
15.I feel like I don’t have control over my life.
16.When I think of my future‚ I see a definite direction for my life.
17.Even when I have opportunity to do things I might be good at‚ I usually can’t get started.
18.Beyond my closest friends and family‚ I’m not that concerned about the needs of other people.
19.I have strengths that enable me to be effective in certain situations.
20.When I am in a close relationship with someone‚ I tend to lose sight of my interests and goals
21.No matter how bad things get‚ I am confident they will get better.
22.Fear keeps me from striving for many of my goals.
23.I’m not really sure what I believe in.
24.When I feel really down‚ I have a hard time believing that things are going to get better.
25.When I reflect on the past‚ I feel sadness and regret.
26.I have trouble accepting a particular purpose or role in life.
27.I’m not afraid of what the future has in store for me.
28.I don’t have time to deal with other people’s problems.
29.When something doesn’t work out the way I had hoped‚ it makes me feel like just quitting everything.
30.My friends and I believe we can disagree on things and still be fiends.
31.Even though I’m sometimes afraid of failing‚ if there’s something I want to do I try to do it.
32.I’m usually able to resist when I’m tempted to do something that’s not in mv best interest.
1.    When I love someone I can accept that they might want to pursue some interests without me. (LOVE)
2.    I am able to follow through on a task until it’s completed. (WILL)
3.    I know I have skills to carry out various tasks and responsibilities important to me. (COMPETENCE)
4.    I find I can easily be distracted even when I really need to finish a task. (WILL)*
5.    I feel okay with the way I’ve handled my life so far. (WISDOM)
6.    I prefer to be free-floating without ha‎ving to worry about commitments to other people or things. (FIDELITY)*
7.    I have experienced feelings of love with someone outside of my family. (LOVE)
8.    When I think about the future‚ I feel optimistic. (HOPE)
9.    When I see someone with a need‚ I help in whatever way I am able. (CARE)
10.I find that my opinions are frequently influenced by others. (FIDELITY)*
11.I really don’t know what strengths or skills I have to offer society. (COMPETENCE)*
12.I can’t seem to forgive myself for a lot of things I’ve done in the past. (WISDOM)*
13.I am involved in a variety of activities that allow me to use my skills and abilities. (COMPETENCE)
14.I don’t think I have really loved anyone outside of my family. (LOVE)*
15.When things don’t go my way‚ I remind myself of the positive things in my life. (HOPE)
16.I really don’t know what I want out of life. (PURPOSE)*
17.When I know someone is ha‎ving a difficult time‚ I really feel concerned about them. (CARE)
18.When I make a commitment to something‚ I stick with it. (FIDELITY)
19.In many ways‚ I have control over my future. (WILL)
20.I don’t pretend to be something that I’m not. (FIDELITY)
21.I really can’t be bothered to help other people. (CARE)*
22.I’m afraid of what might happen to me in the future. (WISDOM)*
23.I don’t like it when someone I love wants to do something with anyone other than me. (LOVE)*
24.I try to pursue my aims even when I have to take risks. (PURPOSE)
25.I hesitate to put much energy into trying to reach my goals. (PURPOSE)*
26.I’m only setting myself up for disappointment by looking forward to things in the future. (HOPE)*
27.I feel like I don’t have control over my life. (WILL)*
28.When I think of my future‚ I see a definite direction for my life. (PURPOSE) 
29.Even when I have opportunity to do things I might be good at‚ I usually can’t get started. (COMPETENCE)*
30.Beyond my closest friends and family‚ I’m not that concerned about the needs of other people. (CARE)*
31.I may have difficult times ahead‚ but I’ll try to face them with courage. (WISDOM)
32.When something doesn’t work out for me‚ I just look forward to doing other things. (HOPE)
33.If there is something I choose to do‚ I am determined to do it. (WILL)
34.When I care about a friend or partner‚ it usually doesn’t lead to a committed relationship. (LOVE)*
35.I have strengths that enable me to be effective in certain situations. (COMPETENCE)
36.Sometimes I feel as if I can’t control my behavior. (WILL)*
37.I believe in being true to myself and others. (FIDELITY)
38.When I am in a close relationship with someone‚ I tend to lose sight of my interests and goals. (LOVE)*
39.No matter how bad things get‚ I am confident they will get better. (HOPE)
40.Fear keeps me from striving for many of my goals. (PURPOSE)*
41.I’m not really sure what I believe in. (FIDELITY)*
42.When I feel really down‚ I have a hard time believing that things are going to get better. (HOPE)*
43.When I reflect on the past‚ I feel sadness and regret. (WISDOM)*
44.I don’t care about things anymore because they usually don’t work out anyway. (HOPE)*
45.I am able to set realistic goals for myself. (PURPOSE)
46.Even when someone I don’t know that well asks me for advice‚ I take the time to try to help. (CARE)
47.I’ve got enough of my own problems that it is hard to worry about other people’s problems. (CARE)*
48.I have trouble accepting a particular purpose or role in life. (FIDELITY)*
49.I’m not afraid of what the future has in store for me. (WISDOM)
50.I don’t look forward to the future. (WISDOM)*
51.I hardly ever initiate activities; I usually follow the crowd. (PURPOSE)*
52.It is difficult for me to ignore the pain of others. (CARE)
53.I stand up for the people and causes that are important to me. (FIDELITY)
54.It doesn’t matter what I do‚ it’s not going to change anything. (WILL)*
55.I don’t have time to deal with other people’s problems. (CARE)*
56.I can accept the fact that I’ve made mistakes in my life. (WISDOM)
57.When I love someone such as a friend or partner‚ we are equally committed to one another. (LOVE)
58.When something doesn’t work out the way I had hoped‚ it makes me feel like just quitting everything. (HOPE)*
59.I like to work to make things happen. (COMPETENCE)
60.My friends and I believe we can disagree on things and still be friends. (LOVE)
61.Most people just seem more capable than me. (COMPETENCE)*
62.Even though I’m sometimes afraid of failing‚ if there’s something I want to do I try to do it. (PURPOSE)
63.I’m usually able to resist when I’m tempted to do something that’s not in my best interest. (WILL)
64.I avoid tasks that might require much of my time and energy. (COMPETENCE)*
* reverse coded
Hope‚ will‚ purpose‚ competence‚ fidelity‚ love‚ care‚ wisdom
“Hope vs. Withdrawal” ‚ “Will vs. Compulsion”‚ “Purpose vs. Inhibition”‚ “Competence vs. Inertia”‚ “Fidelity vs. Role Repudiation”‚ “Fidelity vs. Role Repudiation”‚ “Care vs. Rejectivity”‚ “Wisdom vs. Disdain”
5-point scale ranging from (1) “does not describe me well” to (5) “describes me very well”

Markstrom‚ C.‚ Sabino‚ V. M.‚ Turner‚ B.‚ Berman‚ R. C. (1997). The Psychosocial Inventory of Ego Strengths: Development and assessment of a new Eriksonian Measure. Journal of Youth and Adolescence‚ 26(6): 705-762.

Marshall‚ S. K. (1998). Mattering attitudes: Validating the construct. University of Guelph. Ph.D. Dissertation Abstracts International‚ 59(6)‚ 3121B.

Markstrom‚ C.A.‚ Marshall‚ S.K. (2006). The psychosocial inventory of ego strengths: examination of theory and psychometric properties. J Adolesc‚ 30(1):63-79.

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