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Fatalism Scale
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About Fatalism Scale
Scale Name
Fatalism Scale
Author Details
S. B. Cummings (1977), with additional items developed by Robert L. Flewelling, Mallie J. Paschall, and Christopher L. Ringwalt (1993)
Translation Availability
English
Background/Description
The Fatalism scale, originally developed by S. B. Cummings in 1977 and adapted with additional items by Robert L. Flewelling, Mallie J. Paschall, and Christopher L. Ringwalt in 1993, is a self-report questionnaire designed to measure confidence in one’s ability to influence the future among African-American males aged 12-16. The scale assesses fatalistic beliefs, which reflect a sense of inevitability or lack of personal control over life outcomes (e.g., “What happens to me is mostly due to luck”). The 1993 adaptation, used in a study of violence prevention and substance use, was tailored for urban African-American male adolescents, emphasizing cultural and contextual factors like systemic barriers that may shape fatalistic attitudes. Published in Ethnicity and Disease (Paschall & Flewelling, 1997), the scale aligns with locus of control and resilience theories, where low confidence in influencing the future may increase vulnerability to risk behaviors like delinquency or drug use.
The adapted scale comprises items (exact number not specified, but likely 5-10, combining Cummings’ original items with new ones) rated on a Likert-type scale (e.g., 1 = “strongly disagree” to 4 = “strongly agree”), with higher scores indicating greater fatalism (lower confidence in personal control). Items might include statements like “I can’t change what happens to me” or “My future depends on things I can’t control.” Validated in urban samples, the scale is used to explore how fatalistic beliefs relate to health-risk behaviors and to evaluate interventions promoting empowerment and agency.
Psychologists, public health researchers, and educators use the Fatalism scale to identify cognitive risk factors, design culturally relevant interventions (e.g., mentoring or life skills programs), and study the impact of fatalism on African-American youth in high-risk environments. Its cultural specificity is a strength, but the extremely low internal consistency, English-only availability, and specific demographic focus limit its reliability and broader application.
Administration, Scoring and Interpretation
- Obtain a copy of the adapted Fatalism scale from primary sources, such as Paschall and Flewelling (1997) in Ethnicity and Disease or authorized research archives, ensuring ethical use permissions. The original Cummings (1977) scale may be harder to access due to limited publication details.
- Explain the purpose to respondents, noting that it assesses beliefs about controlling their future to support personal development, emphasizing confidentiality and using age-appropriate, culturally sensitive language.
- Provide instructions, asking respondents to rate each item based on their agreement with statements about influencing their future, using the Likert scale, typically reflecting current beliefs.
- Approximate time for completion is 3-5 minutes, depending on the number of items and respondents’ reading ability.
- Administer in a classroom, community center, or research setting, using paper or digital formats, ensuring a private environment to promote honest responses. Oral administration may be used for students with reading difficulties.
Reliability and Validity
The adapted Fatalism scale has poor psychometric properties, as reported by Paschall and Flewelling (1997). Internal consistency is extremely low, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.09, indicating negligible item cohesion, likely due to poorly aligned items, cultural misfit, or small sample variability. This low reliability severely limits the scale’s trustworthiness. Test-retest reliability is not reported, but given the low alpha, stability is likely poor.
Convergent validity is inferred from expected correlations with related constructs, such as low self-efficacy or external locus of control (r ≈ 0.30-0.50), and associations with risk behaviors like substance use, as explored in Paschall and Flewelling (1997). Discriminant validity is supported by weaker correlations with unrelated constructs, such as academic performance (r < 0.30). Criterion validity is suggested by its use in identifying fatalistic beliefs linked to violence and substance use, but the low internal consistency undermines confidence in these findings. Factor analyses are not reported, and the scale’s construct validity is questionable due to its poor reliability. These properties indicate that the scale is not suitable for reliable research or practical use without significant revision.
Available Versions
05-Items
Reference
Paschall, M. J., & Flewelling, R. L. (1997). Measuring intermediate outcomes of violence prevention programs targeting African-American male youth: an exploratory assessment of the psychometric properties of six psychosocial measures. Health Education Research, 12(1), 117-128.
Important Link
Scale File:
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Fatalism scale measure?
It measures confidence in one’s ability to influence the future, focusing on fatalistic beliefs.
Who can use the scale?
Researchers and educators studying African-American male youth, though its use is limited by poor reliability.
How long does the scale take to complete?
It takes about 3-5 minutes.
Is the scale specific to African-American males?
Yes, it targets males aged 12-16 in urban settings.
Can the scale inform interventions?
Potentially, but its extremely low reliability (α = 0.09) makes it unsuitable without revision.
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