The "Altoid" type kits are the children of the old WWII survival tins used especially by the SAS. The kit was designed to have bare essentials, tools and materials to make an escape, evade and survive. It is a bare minimum not to replace a rucksack full of gear.
In today's application the Altoid kit or pocket survival kit is again a bare minimum to supplement other gear in say a backpack. If one were to lose or get separated from their pack/gear the survival tin would supply items to replace ones in the pack and cover at least some basics.
In the case of many PSKs fire and tools are these basics. So yes a PSK is not a be all end all survival kit but it is a bare bones everything else has failed or been lost survival kit.
Go check out or reread Doug's great articles. He describes many layers of survival gear a pilot (he is a pilot..) should have and what is in his pockets (EDC) is the very last and thinnest layer.

For others their last layer may be a lighter and a knife. For others it is a whole lot more. The Altoid tin is for the whole lot more aspect.
Bill