Ego Identity Development Research Articles

Effect of parental rearing styles on adolescent ego identity: the mediating role of involutionary attitudes.

Previous studies have found that negative parental rearing styles can negatively predict the acquisition of ego identity, while it has not been discussed whether the overcompetitive attitudes, a stable personality, will further hinder their ego identity development under the model of educational involutionary. The study used the Overcompetitive Attitude Scale, the Brief Parental Rearing Styles Questionnaire, and the Ego Identity Status Scale to investigate 550 young students in a school in Suzhou in order to explore the influence of parental rearing styles on adolescents' ego identity development and the role of involutional attitudes. The results showed that: (1) Adolescents' overcompetitive attitude was positively predicted by parental rejection and overprotection, while it was negatively predicted by parental emotional warmth. (2) Parental emotional warmth significantly predicted adolescents' ego identity status more favorably than parental rejection, overprotection, and overcompetitive attitude. (3) Overcompetitive attitude plays a partial intermediary role between parental rearing style and ego identity.

Maternal positive coparenting and adolescent ego-identity: the chain mediating role of fathers' marital satisfaction and adolescent peer relationships.

Based on the ecological systems theory and the family systems theory, this study explores the mechanisms underlying the effects of maternal positive coparenting on adolescent ego-identity. This study employed the Maternal Positive Coparenting Scale to assess mothers, the Father Marital Satisfaction Scale to examine fathers, and the Adolescent Peer Relationship Scale, along with the Ego-Identity Scale, to evaluate adolescents. This comprehensive approach involved investigating 522 families, encompassing both parents and adolescents. The results obtained indicate a significant positive correlation between maternal positive coparenting and adolescent ego-identity. Peer relationships mediated the relationship between maternal positive coparenting and adolescent ego-identity. Father marital satisfaction mediated the relationship between maternal positive coparenting and adolescent ego-identity insignificantly. Paternal marital satisfaction and adolescent peer relationship have a chain mediating role between maternal positive coparenting and adolescent ego-identity. The study contributes by offering insights from the perspectives of family and peer relationships for further enhancing the development of adolescent ego-identity.

Subjective Well-Being and Religious Ego Identity Development in Conservative Christian University Students

Spiritual maturity greatly impacts psychosocial development (Bravo, Pearson, & Stevens, 2016; Dreyer & Dreyer, 2012; Power & McKinney, 2014). Much of the identity formation process occurs during adolescence and early adulthood (Good & Willoughby, 2014; Hardy et al., 2011). The current study sampled students from a private Christian university to examine the relationship between religious ego identity status and subjective well-being. Positive relationships were found between religious ego identity and subjective well-being. Discussion includes the unique developmental needs of emerging adults to help Christian universities better facilitate their students’ growth and education.

Manifestation of civic position in the context of the development of ego-identity in early and late adolescence

Socio-political changes in the world actualize one of the most significant social roles of every person — the citizen. Modern youth are gradually joining the socially active part of the population. This article briefly presents the view of foreign researchers on the development of citizenship from childhood. It also describes the results of the research, the aim of which is to study the characteristics of civic position in early and late adulthood. In this case, the subject’s ego-identity status is taken into account. The main research method is an ascertaining experiment using methods aimed at establishing the status of ego-identity of boys and girls. The study involved 729 people (217 boys and 512 girls) aged 14–24 years. The main hypotheses of the study were the following assumptions. As they grow older, the statuses of the general ego identity are replaced by higher ones. The level of formation of civic position is partly contained in the level of personal identity: a high level of civic position correlates to high indicators of general ego-identity. According to the results of the experiment, the hypotheses are confirmed. In addition, gender differences were found in the studied indicators. This study can serve as a basis for further exploration of the topics of civic position, social maturity and activity. In the future, it is possible to create social programs aimed at raising the level of political consciousness and involvement of young people in social activities.

Ethnic Identity Exploration Among South Asian Immigrant Young Adults in New Zealand

The exploration of ego-identity is a normative process that is necessary for the development of an achieved identity, but how this relates to ethnic identity for immigrant youth is not completely clear. This research sought to test a model combining theories of ego-identity and ethnic identity development with South Asian immigrant young adults in New Zealand. It was hypothesized that moratorium (ego-identity exploration without commitment) would trigger domain-specific ethnic exploration, evident in relationships with both negative (ethno-cultural identity conflict [EIC]) and positive (ethnic identity search [EIS]) facets of ethnic identity exploration. In turn, EIC was hypothesized to be negatively related to ethnic identity achievement (measured as a composite of centrality, in-group ties, and in-group affect), whereas EIS was hypothesized to be positively related to ethnic identity achievement. Results indicate that the model fit the data well, χ2(1) = 0.72, p = .15, comparative fit index = 1.00, adjusted goodness-of-fit index = .96, root-mean-square error of approximation = .00, standardized root-mean-square residual = .01. These findings suggest that moratorium has a negative indirect effect on ethnic identity achievement (through EIC) and a positive indirect effect on ethnic identity achievement (through EIS).

Aesthetic Experience Anchors Ego Identity Formation

The development of a coherent identity status, also referred to as ego identity, is critical during adolescence and early-adulthood. In the long run, an individual’s ego identity status may influence the sustainability of his or her well-being. Researchers have attempted to discover the predictors or factors correlated with one’s identity status. In that search, aesthetic experience, as a unique means of knowing oneself and the world, seemed to be overlooked. Philosophical and psychological discourses have asserted that aesthetic experience stimulated identity discovery and formation; this hypothesis, however, is not supported by strong quantitative evidence. Thus, an empirical study with a quantitative approach was conducted to examine whether those who have frequent aesthetic experiences are more likely to possess a mature ego identity. A sample of 758 valid questionnaires was collected. The results supported the argument that aesthetic experience favors the development of ego identity. In addition, this study revealed that sociodemographic backgrounds such as women, fine arts and design majors, and religious individuals were more likely to have a rich aesthetic life. The results imply that aesthetic experience serves as a crucial aspect that contributes to the wellness of personality development and promotes a healthy and sustainable quality of life.

Korean Nursing Students’ Experience of Ego Identity Development

Korean Nursing Students’ Experience of Ego Identity Development

Improving positive affect based on self-compassion through life goals expressive writing: Basis for an ego identity development among students

Improving positive affect based on self-compassion through life goals expressive writing: Basis for an ego identity development among students

Who do you think you are? An initial investigation of ego identity development and criminogenic thinking among incarcerated offenders

Purpose Criminogenic thinking refers to patterns of specific cognitive events associated with criminal behavior that facilitate the development and maintenance of patterned criminal behavior. Relatively little is known about the specific processes involved in the development of criminogenic thinking. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine ego identity development and criminal associations as two possible predictors of criminogenic thinking. Design/methodology/approach Participants included 104 adult male state penitentiary inmates. Participants completed measures assessing ego identity status, criminogenic thinking, and the amount of time spent in the presence with other offers. Data were analyzed with a series of hierarchical regressions. Findings Results indicated that active engagement in the psychosocial process of identity development is associated with decreased criminogenic thinking. However, interaction with criminal associates and incarceration prior to the age of 18 were significant predictors of criminogenic thinking, regardless of identity development style. Implications for correctional mental health and offender rehabilitation are discussed. Originality/value As this is the first study of its’ kind and limitations are to be expected, there are several potential implications for correctional mental health and offender rehabilitation that are discussed.

Evaluation of a program on self-esteem and ego-identity for Korean nursing students.

Nursing students with high levels of self-esteem and a strong ego-identity maintain a level of self-integrity that enables them to participate successfully in shared group values and interests while simultaneously meeting their own needs. Self-esteem and ego-identity are associated with academic achievement, major (area of study) satisfaction, and life satisfaction in undergraduate students. This study evaluated a brief group program for Korean nursing students that focused on promoting positive self-esteem and ego-identity development. Twenty-three Korean nursing school students participated. Changes in the students' ego-identity and self-esteem were quantitatively examined. Scores for ego-identity and self-esteem increased significantly for the students who participated in the group, while scores in the control group remained the same. The program is judged as an effective method for nursing educators or college mental health providers to utilize in order to promote affirmative ego-identity and self-esteem in nursing students. Additionally, the program contributes to helping students achieve developmental goals during their college life.

Rumination and self-reflection in stress narratives and relations to psychological functioning

ABSTRACTThe longitudinal study aims to expand what is known about the costs and benefits of narrating stressful experiences by exploring changes in rumination within the narrative process and comparing it to changes in self-reflection. Rumination (e.g., brooding, self-criticism, and negative emotions) and self-reflection were measured in stress narratives of 56 college students. There were several goals: (1) examine changes in narrative rumination and narrative self-reflection over 3 days of writing, (2) examine the relations among the changes in narrative rumination variables and narrative self-reflection and (3) examine how changes in narrative rumination and narrative self-reflection relate to multiple measures of psychological functioning. Overall, individuals increased self-reflection over the 3-day writing task. Individuals who increased ruminative brooding across the 3 days of writing showed lower ego identity development (short term and long term) and self-esteem (short term), while increased self-criticism was positively correlated with identity distress (short term). Implications of the different aspects of narrative rumination, specifically in the context of stressful experiences, are discussed.

EXAMINING ADULT’S IDENTITY STATUSES: ADAPTIVE VS. MALADAPTIVE DIMENSION

To achieve the status of ego identity remains the most important challenge for the adolescence period and consequently is a challenge for developmental psychologists too. The vast majority of studies focus on understanding the dynamics of ego identity development, however, factors that cause different path of development remained unclear. This study aims at tracking the paths, which differentiate ego statuses from finding psychosocial factors contributing to ego identity achievement. For this purpose the relationships between four identity statuses - achievement, exploration, moratorium and foreclosure and number of psychosocial variables such as attachment style, self-esteem and perfectionism have been examined. 386 school teenagers aged 14-17 (M = 15.48) filled a set of questionnaires comprised of four instruments: The Ego Identity Process Questionnaire (EIPQ), The Measure of Attachment Qualities (MAQ), The Perfectionism Inventory (PI) and Adult Sources of Self-Esteem Inventory (ASSEI). Discriminant analysis revealed two basic dimensions (adaptive and maladaptive), which are capable to depict the difference between ego identity statuses. The first discriminant function of ego identity status is primarily defined by conscientious perfectionism and secured attachment; whereas, the second discriminant function consists of avoidance attachment, self-evaluative perfectionism and ambivalent attachment styles. Key words: adolescence period, ego identity status, ego identity development, psychosocial factors.

African American Undergraduate Students’ Wisdom and Ego-Identity Development

The present study provides valuable insight into African American youths’ ego-identity and wisdom development. The study examines the relationship between wisdom dimensions (cognitive, affective, and reflective) and ego-identity statuses (achievement, moratorium, foreclosure, and diffusion), and age and gender differences among 198 African American college students (age 18-25 years). The study also examines how self-esteem and resilience are related to wisdom and ego-identity. The results show that (a) age contributes to reflective and affective dimensions of wisdom, (b) there is no association between identity achievement and wisdom, (c) moratorium, foreclosure, and diffusion are negatively associated with wisdom, (d) gender does not predict wisdom, but does affect foreclosure and diffusion, (e) reflective and affective wisdom are related to resilience and self-esteem, and (f) both resilience and self-esteem are related to identity achievement. This study provides insight into the importance of fostering reflective and affective abilities for holistic development among young African Americans.

Racial and ego identity development in Black Caribbean college students.

Racial and ego identity development in Black Caribbean college students.

Ego identity development in physicians: a cross-cultural comparison using a mixed method approach

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to examine the career decision-making process of International Medical Graduates (IMGs). There are two main types of IMGs who apply for licensure in Canada. Canadian International Medical Graduates (CIMGs) were Canadian citizens before leaving to study medicine in a foreign country, in comparison to those non-CIMGs who had studied medicine in a foreign country before immigrating to Canada. Given that their motivations for becoming a doctor in Canada may differ, it is important to examine how they decided to become a doctor for each group separately.MethodsA total of 46 IMGs participated in a semi-structured interview - 20 were CIMGs and 26 were non-CIMGs.ResultsAn iterative process of content analysis was conducted to categorize responses from five open-ended questions according to the Ego Identity Statuses theory of career decision-making. Event contingency analysis identified a significant difference between CIMGs and non-CIMGs, Fisher’s exact test (1) = 18.79, p < .0001. A total of 55% of CIMGs were categorized as identity achieved and 45% as foreclosed; 100% of non-CIMGs were classified as identity foreclosed.ConclusionAbout half of the Canadian citizens who had studied medicine in a foreign country had explored different careers before making a commitment to medicine, and half had not. No IMGs, however, who studied medicine in another country before immigrating to Canada, had explored various career opportunities before selecting medicine.

Characteristics of Young Adults' Personal Religious Narratives and Their Relation with the Identity Status Model: A Longitudinal, Mixed Methods Study

This longitudinal study investigated precursors to the formation of the life story in the particular context of the religious self in young adulthood using qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Religious or spiritual peak experience narratives told by 100 Canadian young adults at age 26 were examined in relation to earlier religious beliefs and identity statuses at ages 17, 19, and 23. Coherent relationships over time between identity status development and religious narratives supported a link between the development of a personal ego identity and characteristics of the life story, as expected. Overall, these findings suggest that the life story approach to identity development (McAdams, 2008) can be illuminating in the domain of religious experience and can enrich Eriksonian models of identity.

Taiwanese adolescent cognitive autonomy and identity development: The relationship of situational and agential factors

Taiwanese professionals have adopted information about adolescent psychosocial development from Western societies. However, scholars know little about whether they have properly applied the models to both rural and urban youth. The purpose of this study was to examine the development of cognitive autonomy and ego identity in Taiwanese adolescents from Taipei City and surrounding rural counties. We controlled for gender and examined both situational (residential location, family income, and school type) and agential factors (culture value affiliation, attachment, and resiliency) to determine the extent to which each predicted psychosocial developmental outcomes. Among all the factors in this study, resiliency had the most distinctive relationship with adolescent psychosocial development. Each factor successfully predicted specific aspects of psychosocial development for these youth. We conclude with a discussion of the utility of using Western models of development.

Positive and Negative Childhood and Adolescent Identity Memories Stemming from One’s Country and Culture-of-origin: A Comparative Narrative Analysis

The initial cognitive ability to coordinate experience into a hierarchically organized, multi-episode narrative occurs in youth, beginning a narrative record of ego identity development that continues throughout the life span (Habermas and Bluck in Psychological Bulletin 126:748–769, 2000; Habermas and de Silveira in Developmental Psychology 44:707–721, 2008). The following case studies explore how two high-functioning women integrate potentially conflicting bicultural identity expectations in adulthood by causally connecting identity memories stemming in youth from their country and culture-of-origin to their current life values and structures. It is hypothesized that the co-constructivist nature of meaning-making, described by Erikson (Insight and responsibility. Norton, New York, 1964; Identity and the life cycle. W.W. Norton & Co., New York, 1980) as the ego, personal and socio-organismic features of ego synthesis, includes inter-related factors of personal and cultural others which affect both individual and future generational bicultural identity integration.

Teaching and Learning Guide for: Broadening the study of the Self: Integrating the Study of Personal Identity and Cultural Identity

Teaching and Learning Guide for: Broadening the study of the Self: Integrating the Study of Personal Identity and Cultural Identity

An ego identity perspective on volitional action: Identity status, agency, and procrastination

Identity has been positively related to agency. Agency theoretically confers the capacity for action required for timely task completion. Given this theoretical link between identity and procrastination, we hypothesized that level of ego identity development would be negatively related to procrastination. Participants (101 female, 38 male) completed the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status-revised, the Procrastination Assessment Scale – Students, and the General Procrastination Scale. Diffusion ( r = .22) and Moratorium ( r = .30) status scores showed significant positive correlations with an aggregate measure of procrastination, Achievement status scores ( r = −.34) yielded a negative correlation, and Foreclosure status scores showed no significant correlation. A regression of the four identity status scores on procrastination while controlling for gender was significant ( R 2 = .19, F (5, 133) = 6.09, p < .001) with Moratorium and Achievement scores accounting for the variance in the aggregate procrastination measure. These findings support both our hypothesis of a negative relation of identity status to procrastination and the theoretical link between agency and procrastination. The opposite relation of Moratorium and Achievement to procrastination is explained in terms of Erikson’s ego synthetic and executive functions and their link to the identity dimensions of exploration and commitment.