Dimensionality in the measurement of authoritarian and political attitudes.

Administered 300 items from major inventories of authoritarian and political attitudes (e.g., the Rokeach Dogmatism Scale) to 135 undergraduates. The 300 items were reduced to 77 by selecting those with major factor loadings. Refactoring the 77 produced 25 1st-order factors and 10 2nd-order factors. The 1st-order factors typically referred to groupings of specific attitudes while 2nd-order factors referred to broad patterns which transcend a variety of attitudes. 4 major 2nd-order factors were identified as Religiosity, Political-Economic Liberalism, Authoritarianism, and Restrictiveness; these were found to differentiate Ss according to political and religious affiliations. Examination of items loading on the factors was considered to support the concept of the authoritarian personality but provided less support for M. Rokeach's concepts. The Melvin-Eysenck 2-factor model did not offer enough dimensions to account for the major sources of authoritarian and political attitudes. (French summary) (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Empathy and ego development.

Examined the relationship between empathy and ego development to determine whether, as J. Loevinger (1976) suggested, empathy is characteristic of higher levels of ego development. 51 undergraduates (dormitory advisors) completed the Affective Sensitivity Scale (a measure of empathy) and the Loevinger Sentence Completion Test (a measure of ego development). Analysis of test scores indicated that Ss at higher levels of ego development (I-? and above) had significantly higher empathy scores than did those at lower ego levels. Findings have implications for the selection and training of individuals to serve in counseling or quasi-counseling roles. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A longitudinal study of ego development.

Using the Washington University Sentence Completion Test of Ego Development, 32 lower-class and lower-middle-class 12th graders (Group A) who had been given the test by A. Blasi (1971) as 6th graders were retested. The relationship between ego development and vocational attitudes and plans was also examined using a vocational choice questionnaire and the Career Maturity Inventory (CMI). To increase sample size, an additional 23 12th graders (Group B) were also administered the 3 measures. Results of statistical analyses show an increase at the .0005 level between 6th and 12th grades. Among Group A, sex differences at both grade levels were not significant; however, among Group B, girls had significantly higher ego levels than boys. In addition, ego development was significantly related to vocational maturity but not to reasons for vocational choices. Ego levels for 6th and 12th graders were significantly lower than those of middle- and upper-class Ss of comparable ages tested in other studies, suggesting a significant relation between ego development and socioeconomic status. Results are seen as evidence for the developmental nature of the ego, and support the sequentiality hypothesis, which suggests that stages follow in an invariant order. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The meaning and measurement of ego development.

Defense of research workers in clinical psychology. Ego development is "second only to intelligence in accounting for human variability [and] must become a focal construct in psychological theory and research." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of task and ego achievement goals on help-seeking behaviors and attitudes.

We proposed that help-seeking perceptions and behaviors will be more adaptive under salient task goals relative to ego achievement goals. A total of 159 2nd- and 6th-grade Israeli children could request help as they worked on difficult puzzles in either a task or an ego goal condition. As predicted, children were more likely to request help and to explain help avoidance as guided by strivings for independent mastery in the task-focus condition. In contrast, more children in the ego-focus condition explained help avoidance in terms of masking incapacity. Skill level moderated help seeking only in the ego-focus condition, wherein requests for help were more frequent at intermediate than at both high and low skill levels. The results clarify the role of motivational factors in promoting or undermining academic help seeking and can help resolve theoretical controversy and inconsistent empirical findings concerning the relation between competence and help seeking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Revision of the Sentence Completion Test for ego development.

Presents revised forms of the Sentence Completion Test (SCT) that are closely comparable for men and women, noting that previous forms remain more appropriate for women in both item content and scoring manuals. The 2 pages of each new form are usable as alternate 18-item forms. All items on the new forms have a manual derived for women, for men, or for both. Order of items on the new forms is designed to maximize cooperation and to ensure independent answers on the several stems. Data from a diverse sample of 454 men and 350 women tested with the previous forms show the median item validity (correlation of item rating with total protocol rating) slightly higher for women than for men. However, the difference is accounted for by difference in the variance of the samples. First-person stems and impersonal stems are equally valid for women, but impersonal stems are more valid for men. More impersonal stems are included on the new forms. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationships between career indecision subtypes and ego identity development.

Four cluster groups of career-undecided college students (N?=?423) were formed from Career Factors Inventory scores. Career decision groups were compared across Erikson's first 5 stages of ego identity development as measured by the Ego Development Scale (R. Ochse & C. Plug, 1986). It was predicted that career decision groups would differ in level of ego identity resolution, with groups that experienced the most indecision reporting the least successful resolution. Using profile analysis, overall profile parallelism, level, and shape were examined, and comparisons of career decision groups within the substages were made. Results indicated that the 4 career decision groups differed in their degree of successful identity resolution in the predicted direction. Results are related to career interventions and treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Implications of Loevinger's theory of ego development for time-limited psychotherapy.

Examines the implications of J. Loevinger's (1976) stages of ego development, which are characterized by psychic structures that determine the form in which self and other are experienced, for psychotherapy. The stages of ego development are described, and their association with specific symptoms of psychopathology is discussed. An important distinction in applying developmental concepts to clinical work is the difference between internal developmental stages and external challenges of the life cycle. Case examples of a 42-yr-old woman with an adjustment disorder and a 17-yr-old girl with school and family problems illustrate the use of developmental concepts in time-limited psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Loevinger's model and measure of ego development: A critical review.

Reviews the approach to the conceptualization and assessment of ego development which has been proposed by J. Loevinger (1969) and her associates. Despite the fact that it is only 5 yrs since the measurement technique was linked to this model of ego development, a number of workers have used this approach to ego development in diverse studies, taken from both psychological and sociocultural perspectives. Data relevant to reliability and validity issues are presented, with major emphasis on validity problems. Evidence from published and unpublished studies is examined in terms of its bearing on further empirical understanding of this model, as well as on 2 key assumptions contained within this approach to ego development. Several unresolved conceptual problems which are generated by this model of ego development are discussed. (11/2 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal ego development and mother-infant interaction in drug-abusing women

The efficacy and safety of remifentanil and alfentanil for patients undergoing major abdominal surgery were compared. Premedicated patients received a loading dose of remifentanil (1.0 microgram.kg-1; n = 116) and a continuous infusion of 0.5 microgram.kg-1.min-1, or a loading dose of alfentanil (25 micrograms.kg-1; n = 118) and a continuous infusion of 1.0 microgram.kg-1.min-1. Propofol was administered (10 mg every 10 s) until loss of consciousness. Patients' lungs were ventilated with 66% nitrous oxide and 0.5% (end-tidal) isoflurane in oxygen. The study drug infusion rate was reduced by 50% 5 min after intubation. Alfentanil was discontinued 15 min before the end of surgery, whereas remifentanil was continued in the immediate postoperative period at a reduced dose. Responses to intubation (28%) and skin incision (17%) occurred approximately twice as often in the alfentanil group (15% and 8%; p = 0.014 and p = 0.037, respectively). More patients receiving alfentanil had one or more responses to surgery (72% vs. 57%; p = 0.016). The time to spontaneous respiration, adequate respiration, response to verbal command and time to recovery room discharge were similar. However, owing to decreased variability, the time to extubation was shorter with remifentanil than with alfentanil (p = 0.048). There was a similar overall incidence of adverse events in both groups, 82% and 75% of patients, respectively. Adverse events associated with remifentanil were rapidly controlled by dose reductions. The incidence of intra-operative hypotension and bradycardia was higher in the remifentanil group (p < or = 0.033). An initial remifentanil infusion rate of 0.1 microgram.kg-1.min-1 titrated to individual need provided postoperative pain relief in the presence of adequate respiration in 71% of patients. When using remifentanil in the immediate postoperative setting, rapid administration of bolus doses and infusion rate increases resulted in a relatively high incidence of muscle rigidity, respiratory depression and apnoea. Changing the postoperative regimen to avoid rapid changes in remifentanil blood concentration resulted in more effective analgesia and dramatically reduced the incidence of adverse events during this period. In patients undergoing major abdominal surgery, remifentanil appears to offer superior intra-operative haemodynamic stability during stressful surgical events compared with alfentanil without compromising recovery from anaesthesia. Remifentanil can be administered as a postoperative analgesic agent at a starting dose of 0.1 microgram-.kg-1.min-1; however, it should only be used in the presence of adequate supervision and monitoring of the patient. Administration of bolus doses is not recommended in this setting.     

Relation of level of ego development to type and severity of psychopathology.

Replicated L. R. Vincent and K. R. Vincent's (see record 1980-30574-001) study. Contrary to their findings, the present results with 88 patients administered the MMPI suggest that ego development is not meaningfully predictive of type or severity of psychopathology, and normal comparison samples show distributions of ego level practically similar to those of the clinical sample. It is concluded that in terms of molar relations, ego development and psychopathology appear independent. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive consistency in the development of social attitudes.

Explored the role of Heiderian consistency principles in the formation of children's social attitudes. 16 Ss at each of 3 age levels (6, 9, and 12 yrs) were shown drawings depicting dyadic interactions. Two of these interactions were positive, and 2 were negative; within each category, one drawing contained a positively anchored figure and the other contained a negatively anchored figure. Attitudes toward the unanchored character in each drawing were assessed. Results show that among 6- and 9-yr-olds, attitudes toward the unanchored character were determined primarily by the valence of the depicted interaction. Among 12-yr-olds, attitudes were formed primarily on the basis of consistency dynamics, but the principles involved seemed to be those of T. Newcomb's (1968) revised model rather than those of F. Heider's (1958) original formulation. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Individual differences in adult ego development: Sources of influence in twins reared apart.

A behavior genetic analysis of the personality dimension of ego development, as assessed by the Washington University Sentence Completion Test, was carried out on a sample of 45 pairs of monozygotic twins and 28 pairs of same-sex dizygotic twins. The twins ranged in age from 16 to 70 years at the time of assessment, had been separated during infancy, and had been raised apart in adoptive homes before being reunited in adulthood. Analyses indicated that reared-apart twins were similar in trait levels of ego development and that such similarity could not solely be attributed to measured similarity in cognitive ability, including verbal reasoning. Estimates of broad heritability for ego development (46%) were comparable to values reported for other major personality dimensions. Phenotypic variance in adult levels of ego development appears to have substantial genetic and environmental sources. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal child-rearing practices and authoritarian ideology.

A study designed to investigate the way in which the mother's authoritarianism affects her selection of behavior control techniques in a variety of socialization situations. The theory of the authoritarian personality was combined with the socialization model of Whiting and Child to yield specific testable predictions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The superego in observing ego functioning.

The work of Sterba and Strachey is drawn upon to formulate the observing ego in terms of its close relationship to the superego as a whole. The superego proper and ego ideal of both patient and analyst play major roles in development and maintenance of observing ego function, as do superego and ego ideal components implicit in psychoanalytic procedure, set-up, process, and attitude. The crucial juxtaposition of real object/analyst with archaic object/analyst produces an analytically engineered conflict, with observing ego function itself a resultant compromise formation. Conditions that may enhance or hinder observing ego capacity are examined with particular reference to superego functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Two moralities in action contexts: Relationships to thought, ego regulation, and development.

Six adolescent friendship groups (56 Ss aged 13–27 yrs), each group being sexually heterogeneous but all Black or White and all of lower or middle socioeconomic status, participated in moral games in an investigation of moral action constructed according to 2 different formulations. L. Kohlberg's (1969) theory of formal moral judgment, which is viewed as a process of deducing logical moral solutions from imperative rules, was contrasted with an interpersonal formulation that posits that moral solutions are achieved through dialogues that strive for balanced agreements among participants. Analyses focused on relationships between interview-based moral thought, action in the moral games, the coordination of action by coping and defensive processes used in these moral games, and changes in the level of thought after the game experiences. Although the levels of both the Kohlberg and interpersonal scores fluctuated between games, the interpersonal scores were more stable than the formal scores, particularly in stressful games. Black adolescents had higher interpersonal than formal levels; Whites reversed this pattern. All Ss used interpersonal more frequently than formal reasoning in the action situations. Predictions of action from test levels were markedly improved for the interpersonal moral scores when ego processing was taken into account. After the games the levels of both moral scores increased for the 6 experimental groups as compared to a control group of an additional 17 teenagers. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex role identity in young adults: Its parental antecedents and relation to ego development.

Examined how ego development and socialization experience interact in relation to sex-role identity (SRI). 60 male and 60 female 22–26 yr olds completed the Bem Sex-Role Inventory and J. H. Block's (unpublished) childrearing practices report. Both measures were scaled so as to yield scores on agency, communion, and androgyny. Ss also completed the Sentence Completion Test of Ego Development. Analyses revealed that the predictive power of the variables differed by sex. Ego development was predictive of SRI in males but not females, whereas socialization practices were predictive of SRI in females but not males. Results support N. Chodorow's (1974) position regarding the differing socialization experiences of men and women. (49 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Identification, authoritarian defensiveness, and self-esteem.

It was hypothesized that if one individual identifies with another with regard to 1 trait, the possession of a 2nd trait by the one with whom S identifies will lead S to assume the possession of even the 2nd trait. The opposite was also hypothesized, i.e., that if a person is made to perceive that he is opposite to a model with regard to a given trait, he will perceive that he is opposite the other trait. The degree of self-esteem will also influence this process; the higher the self-esteem the lower the assumption of similarity. After performing on 4 tasks (identifying associated nouns, finding antonymns, letter-number substitution, making words formed from other words), Ss were presented with material to structure identification or distinction from another S who performed the same or opposite tasks, describing this S in terms of intellectual level. Results supported the hypothesis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Age, ego level, and the life-span development of coping and defense processes.

Developmental variation in coping and defense strategy use was examined in a sample of 100 male and female participants ranging in age from 10 to 77 years. Each participant was administered Loevinger's ego development task, the Ways of Coping measure, and the Defense Mechanism Inventory. In addition, a brief narrative of a stressful experience was assessed for the developmental level of the response and for its content. The results suggest that, in addition to age, the developmental measures of ego level and source of stress predict the use of particular coping and defense strategies. In keeping with other research, sex differences in coping and defense strategies were also found. These findings are discussed in light of the need for tasks that are able to assess both developmental and individual differences in the maturity of coping and defense strategy use. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)