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10 to 15minutes. The administration ofthe PlL is quick and easy. The two major
fimctions of this test are to detect the presence ofexistentialvacuum in a given popu­
lation, and to use the PlL as a research tool, particularlyfor measuringthe degree to
which an individual has developed a sense ofmeaningin life.
The development, technicalaspects and statistical elements ofthe Pll, are not ade­
quately documented, but this test remains the most frequently used test to come out
ofFrankl's logotherapy (Hutzell 1988:99 & Guttmann 1996:178-179). Logothera­
pists believe thatthe Pll, was able to show thatit is a useful tool for measuringnot
only existential vacuumbut also the effects oftherapy with alcoholics. In one ofthe
most recent uses ofthis test in logotherapeutic circles, Guttmann and Cohen (1993:
38-55), used it as one ofthe instruments in a study ofmeaningin life and excessive
behaviors amongactive elderly in Israel. "-.
The positive contribution ofthis test is thatit seriously tries to measure a client' sf
patient's will to meaningand hislher existentialvacuum- somethingwhich is nor­
mallyvery difficult to determinebecause offactors like subjectivism,uncertainty, the
possibilityoflies on the side ofthe patient/client,unwillingness to "reveal" himself!
herself via a questionnaire and the "fixed type" ofquestions with the very often
"neutral" type ofanswer. The structure ofthe 20 questions ofpart A is basically a
version ofa scale ofRensis Likert. "Neutral" for Crumbaughand Maholick implies
"no judgment" eitherway (Guttmann 1996: 220).
From a psycho-linguistic point ofview it is not always clear ifthe concepts/terms that
are used in this questionnaire were operationallydefined so that everyone knows ex­
actly what the researcher specificallyhad in mind when they formulatedit. Concepts
are basicallyabstract labels placed upon reality and althoughwe may know what
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