The threat index: A research report

The Threat Index (TI), theoretically based on George Kelly's personal construct theory (1), was developed in 1972 as a measure of death orientation. Since its appearance, 12 studies have examined the reliability of the TI and the validity of interpreting TI scores as a measure of death threat. As the research progressed, the instrument underwent some modifications in form and scoring. This article outlines the emerging reliability and validity picture and arranges the alternative forms and scoring procedures in a manner that we hope will be useful to others who wish to use the TI in their research on death orientation. The aim is to give direction to future TI research by summarizing and critically evaluating the currently available data on the Threat Index.