The subjective texture of time. An exploratory and empirical approach to time perspectives in Chile.

Time is a social and subjective construct that establishes qualitative differences in the flow of events, that is associated with an individuals sociodemographic and cultural background, and that affects their attitudes and behavior. The rele- vance of the past, present, or future as well as the particular meaning of these temporal frames varies depending on each individuals life experiences and social status. These qualitative and differentiated meanings of time have been studied in many countries through the concept of ‘‘time perspectives. This paper pre- sents the findings of the first application of Zimbardos Time Perspective Inventory in Chile and establishes correlations between its factors and socio- demographic and cultural variables. This paper aims to present comparable data for the study of time perspectives, provide theoretical and empirical evidence to progress in the study of the multidimensional nature of time in Chile, and dis- cuss the possibilities and challenges posed by Zimbardos Time Perspective Inventory as an instrument for the empirical study of time.