Imagining future events is a crucial cognitive process in adaptation, but impairments have been identified in a range of mental disorders. Taking a functional approach to future thinking, this paper reports on the development and deployment of a scale to assess the frequency of self-reported functions of future thinking: The Functions of Future Thinking Scale (FoFTS). In Study 1 (N = 565) items were developed and subjected to exploratory factor analysis. Ten factors were extracted representing distinct purposes of future thinking: Boredom Reduction, Death Preparation, Identity Contrasting, Negative Emotion Regulation, Social Bonding, Goal Setting, Planning, Problem-Solving, Decision-Making, and Positive Emotion Regulation. Construct, convergent and divergent validity were established. The FoFTS predicted unique variance in transdiagnostic variables even after accounting for frequency, attitudes, and clarity of future thought. In Study 2 (N = 467), confirmatory factor analysis showed the 10-factor FoFTS model was an excellent fit to the data. In Study 3 (N = 106) it was shown that participants with probable major depression, relative to non-depressed participants, reported a significantly different profile of future thinking for different purposes. In conclusion, the FoFTS can be used to examine future thinking from a functional perspective and may help enrich models of psychopathology.

想象未来事件是适应过程中一个关键的认知过程，但已经在一系列精神障碍中发现了障碍。本文采用未来思维的功能方法，报告了评估未来思维自我报告功能频率的量表的开发和部署：未来思维功能量表 (FoFTS)。在研究 1 ( N = 565) 项目已开发并进行探索性因素分析。提取了代表未来思考不同目的的十个因素：减少无聊、死亡准备、身份对比、消极情绪调节、社会联系、目标设定、计划、解决问题、决策和积极情绪调节。建立了建构效度、收敛效度和发散效度。即使在考虑了频率、态度和未来思想的清晰度之后，FoFTS 也预测了跨诊断变量的独特差异。在研究 2 ( N  = 467) 中，验证性因子分析显示 10 因子 FoFTS 模型非常适合数据。在研究 3 ( N = 106）结果表明，与非抑郁症参与者相比，可能患有严重抑郁症的参与者报告了针对不同目的的显着不同的未来思维概况。总之，FoFTS 可用于从功能角度检查未来的思维，并可能有助于丰富精神病理学模型。