The Adolescent Life Goal Profile Scale: Development of a New Scale for Measurements of Life Goals Among Young People

In this study we developed and psychometrically tested the Adolescent Life Goal Profile Scale (ALGPS). This scale provides a new approach to the measurements of personal goals, meaning, structure and direction in adolescent lives—a focus that falls in line with the increasing awareness of the prospects and benefits of congruent living. The objective is to measure the perceived importance of four life goal categories (Relations, Generativity, Religion and Achievements) and the perceived attainability of these goals. The ALGPS is a psychological tool that can be useful for general adolescent research and as an approach to individual mental health care. Pilot study 1 consisted of focus group interviews as a methodological approach to better understand the culture and language of young people in Norway. In pilot study 2, we tested out a preliminary version of the ALGPS on a high school sample (N?=?140) based on the results from pilot study 1. In the main study, we used the ALGPS and an accompanying test battery for validation purposes. All tests were administered to a new high school sample (N?=?244). Exploratory factor analyses supported a 16?+?16 item version of the ALGPS (16 life goals and 16 attainability ratings). The four life goal categories were reproduced with low intercorrelations among the factors. This model was cross-validated in a new sample (N?=?294) using confirmatory factor analysis. Further evidence for reliability and convergent validity is presented and applications are discussed.