Stable and Variable Characteristics of the Time Perspective in Humans 1

Abstract Today, many definitions and measures of the time perspective exist in parallel, with more or less common meaning. This article presents the most prominent conceptualizations of time perspective, which differ not only in the way of assessing the concept, but also in their assumed variability. The author then reports on an experiment that investigated the relationship between two different conceptualizations of the time perspective, and that examined the role emotions play in the variable part of the time perspective. Finally, conclusions are drawn with respect to the experimental results and the conceptualizations of the time perspective as expressed in the Introduction.