Development of psychological time perspective: The types, predictors, and trends

Abstract

A nationwide sample (N=2201, aged 15-89) of the Czech Republic was administered Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI) along with demographic, social, and attitudinal questions to reveal developmental shifts in the Future, Present Hedonistic, Present Fatalistic, Positive-Past and Negative-Past dimensions. It turned out that age is not the only significant developmental factor (bivariate analyses were scrutinized by multiple linear regression which yielded additional predictors for individual ZTPI dimensions, such as education, employment, marital status, health, political leaning, or religiousness). Latent class analysis (LCA) was then used to identify meaningful time perspective patterns which corresponded to distinctly different developmental tasks and coping strategies: Hedonic pattern was typical for the young (16%), Empowered pattern usual for mid-age adulthood, it was non-fatalistic and non-hedonistic but with a high future commitment (25%), and two patterns typical for aging—prevalently positive Moderate pattern (39%) and Past-Oriented Fatalism (20%). Predictors for LCA classes and ZTPI dimensions provide leads for fostering healthy time perspective.