Ego Strength Research Articles

Comparison of ego strength between aggressive and non-aggressive alcoholics: a cross-sectional study

AimTo determine the differences between aggressive and non-aggressive alcoholics in sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and ego strength.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 111 aggressive and 123 non-aggressive male alcoholics aged between 25 and 60 years who were admitted to the Department for Alcoholism, University Psychiatric Hospital Vrapče, Zagreb, Croatia, from January to December 2016. All participants met the diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence according to the Croatian Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), 4th revised edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and the International Classification of Diseases. Participants were clinically assessed by an experienced psychiatrist using a clinical interview, MINI, Questionnaire from the Brown-Goodwin Lifetime History of Aggression, and Ego Identity Scale (EIS) according to Erikson. A clinical psychologist performed cognitive function measurements. EIS scores were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance.ResultsIn comparison with non-aggressive alcoholics, aggressive alcoholics were more often divorced, unemployed, hospitalized, and first treated for alcoholism at an earlier age (P < 0.05 for all). They more frequently experienced depression (42.4% vs 19.4%, P = 0.013) and attempted suicide (34.7% vs 6.2%, P = 0.003), achieved a lower level of maturity at the second stage of psychosocial development related to shame and doubt (14.0 ± 4.1 vs 17.4 ± 3.7, P = 0.013) and at the fourth stage related to inferiority (13.1 ± 6.8 vs 18.1 ± 9.3, P = 0.011), and had lower total EIS score (75.8 ± 20.4 vs 85.2 ± 21.5, P < 0.012) than non-aggressive alcoholics.ConclusionAggressive alcoholics had weaker ego-strength than non-aggressive alcoholics, experienced more depressive reactions and suicide attempts, and showed poorer psychosocial functioning.Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine level of evidence: 3**

S31. BASIC SENSE OF SELF IN YOUTH AT HIGH RISK FOR DEVELOPING SCHIZOPHRENIA

BackgroundPhenomenological researchers argue that schizophrenia is first and foremost a disorder of the basic sense of self (also known as ipsity, minimal or core self), that is, of the immediate, pre-reflective, embodied sense of being immersed in the world. According to the self-disorder model, impairment of the basic sense of self precedes clinical symptoms and is independent of them. Therefore, we postulated that youth at high psychometric risk for developing schizophrenia would present an impairment in their basic sense of self, as measured by levels of ego strength, basic symptoms, and pronoun usage.MethodsEighty undergraduate students aged 19–22 years (M = 20.83 years, SD = 1.28 years) completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), Ego Strengths Questionnaire (ESQ), a self-report version of Schizophrenia Proneness Instrument (SPI-A), and four written narratives about personal and fictional experiences. Based on the SPQ scores, participants were allocated to either control (at or below the 84th percentile on all three subscales) or study group (above the 90th percentile on at least one subscales). To obtain the linguistic dimension of the pronouns usage in the written narratives, the essays were subjected to Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC).ResultsCompared to the control group, the high-risk group presented lower levels of ego strength, higher levels of basic symptoms, and used more personal pronouns and the they pronoun in narratives. Self-report on the SPI-A and ESQ correlated significantly with the objective lexical pattern of pronoun use: Lower ego strength correlated with greater use of they and more self-reported basic symptoms correlated with greater use of pronouns overall, personal pronouns, and the pronouns she and they. Ego strength had the most predictive power for group membershipDiscussionIn line with the hypotheses, there were significant differences between the schizotypy and the control groups in objective and subjective measures of basic sense of self. Subjective measures indicated a lower level of ego strength and higher levels of basic symptoms for the schizotypy group, as compared with the control group. Objective measures revealed a different lexical pattern with higher use of third-person and personal pronouns for the schizotypy group, as compared with the control group. Subjective (basic symptoms and ego strength) and objective measures significantly correlated with each other (pronoun use). Nevertheless, it is only the level of cognitive-perceptive disturbances that best predicted membership of the schizotypy group. Taken together, these results indicate a weak sense of basic self, namely a self-disorder, in a nonclinical population. Detection of self-disorder in the premorbid and prodrome stages of schizophrenia, paired with a suitable intervention, can help to prevent or at least minimize, the eruption of its active stage. In the future, it needs to be determined how these measures of self-disorder in non-clinical population can predict transition to schizophrenia and to other psychotic disorders. Furthermore, it would be valuable to test the distributions of measures of self-disorder in younger population from a more diverse background, such as high school students from a different socio-economic background.Lastly, it is possible to conclude that some impairment in the basic sense of self does exist in schizotypy. This is apparent across the measures of self-disorder and suggests that there is a core feature that distinguishes schizotypes from non-schizotypes.

The Structural Relationship among Elementary School Students’ Parent-Child Relationship, Ego Strength, School Adaptation, Self-Regulated Learning Ability and Academic Achievement

The Structural Relationship among Elementary School Students’ Parent-Child Relationship, Ego Strength, School Adaptation, Self-Regulated Learning Ability and Academic Achievement

SELF-CARE AGENCY TO ELDERLY WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS BASED ON THEORY OF DOROTHEA E. OREM

Introduction. Elderly who experience rheumatoid arthritis, if elderly with rheumatoid arthritis is not treated immediately, they will lead self-care defi cit. The objective was to describe self-care agency to elderly with rheumatoid arthritis based on theory of Dorothea E Orem. Methods. The research design was descriptive. Population was all elderly with rheumatoid arthritis at Kelurahan Bangsal Kota Kediri. The subjects were 55 respondents using purposive sampling. The variable was self-care agency. Data collecting used questionnaires of Denyes Self-Care Agency-90, then analyzed used statistical test of frequency distribution. Result. Results of self-care agency to elderly with rheumatoid arthritis was good (56.4%) consisted of ego strength aspect, was good (56.4%), aspect of health value was good (56.4%), aspect of health knowledge and decision making was good (61.8%), energy aspect was poor (50, 9%), feeling aspect was poor (58.2%), attention to health aspect was good (50.9%). Discussion. Elderly with rheumatoid arthritis have good self-care agency which consist of good in ego strength aspect, good health knowledge and decision making aspect, good attention to health and poor in energy and feeling aspect.Keywords: Self-care agency, elderly, rheumatoid arthritis

Changes in ego strength in patients with neurotic and personality disorders treated with a short-term comprehensive psychodynamic psychotherapy.

Analysis of changes in ego strength in the course of group psychotherapy in patients treated with neurotic and selected personality disorders (F40-F61, ICD-10). 82 patients (61 women and 21 men) participated in the study. They underwent intensive short-term group psychotherapy treatment in a day hospital for neurotic and behavioural disorders. The assessment of the patients' personality functioning was carried out at the onset and the end of the psychotherapy. The assessment was reported as a value on the ego strength scale by means of the MMPI-2 questionnaire. The comparative analysis with the use of the t-Student test for related measurements, which was carried out for the measurement of ego strength values at the onset and the end of the therapy, demonstrated a statistically significant positive change both for the entire examined group and the groups which considered the gender and diagnosis distribution. Short-term intensive comprehensive group psychotherapy with elements of individual psychotherapy results in obtaining the desired changes in the personality functioning manifested through the increase in ego strength.

Associations between the Rorschach Ego Impairment Index and Measures on Intrapsychic and Interpersonal Functioning

The Rorschach Ego Impairment Index-2 (EII-2) has shown considerable validity as a measure of personality disturbance. However, few studies have been conducted on the associations between the EII-2 and measures related to ego strength and interpersonal capacities in mood and anxiety disorder patients. This study examined the strength of associations between the EII-2 and its subcomponents with measures of psychological suitability for psychotherapy, personality functioning, and interpersonal problems. A total of 315 outpatients with mood or anxiety disorders were assessed with the Rorschach Comprehensive System (RCS), comprising the EII-2, the Suitability for Psychotherapy Scale (SPS), the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP-64), and the Quality of Object Relations Scale (QORS), as part of a pre-treatment evaluation. The relatively weak associations found in the study between the EII-2 and the other measures were mostly in the hypothesized direction and often modified by personality pathology. Of the EII-2 subcomponents, the Good Human Representation (GHR) variable was associated with the SPS. The subcomponent Critical Contents were associated with the IIP and the subcomponent WSum6 with the IIP and QORS. Further research is needed to clarify whether the EII-2 has incremental validity in predicting the treatment outcome and alliance in comparison to interview-based and self-report measures.

Study of Predictors of Social and Emotional Loneliness among Female College Students

This study examined the predictors of social and emotional loneliness among college students. This study examined only female students (n = 300). The following tests were administered: Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale, Experiences in Close Relationships, Self rating Depression Scale and IPATs Anxiety scale. The average age of participants was 22.23 (SD = 1.25). Results revealed that for social loneliness, avoidant attachment, depression and factor C(-) (Ego Weakness, lack of ego strength) emerged as salient predictors. On the other hand for family loneliness, avoidant attachment and depression emerged as saline predictors whereas for romantic loneliness, avoidant attachment, anxious attachment and depression emerged as salient predictors. The present results expand the literature on attachment by presenting evidence that anxious and avoidant females experience loneliness differently.

Relationship between Defense Mechanisms and the Individuation Process among Adults

Jung defined individuation as the process by which a person becomes “a psychological in-dividual, that is separate, indivisible unity or whole that begins after the 35th year and is necessary for survival. Freud originally conceived of defense mechanisms as “intra-psychic” mechanisms that mediate the internal struggles between the internalized societal expectations of the super-ego and the instinctual drives of the id. The present investigation was designed to study the relationship between defense mechanisms (mature, neurotic and immature) and the individuation process among adults. Sample for the study consisted of 240 adults, age ranging 40-50 years, having a stable career and married life. Data was collected using questionnaires pertaining to the variables from Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula and Solan. Since, it is the first of its kind attempt in the Indian context to provide elusive character to the construct of individuation, the index for individuation consisted of a cumulative score of self-concept, ego strength and inner-directedness. The study consisted of three hypotheses: 1) Mature defense mechanisms will have a positive significant relationship with the individuation process. 2) Neurotic defense mechanisms will have a negative significant relationship with the individuation process. 3) Immature defense mechanisms will have a negative significant relationship with the individuation process. Statistical analysis was done using Pearson’s product moment correlation to study the relationship between defense mechanisms and the individuation process. Results indicated that mature defense mechanisms were found to have positive significant relationship with the individuation process, thereby proving our first hypothesis. Whereas both neurotic and immature defense mechanisms were found to have a positive but non – significant relationship with the individuation process, due to which hypothesis two and three were rejected. However, more studies need to be conducted to validate the construct of Individuation process in the Indian context.

Perceived Possibility of Disclosure and Ethical Decision Making in an Information Technology Context

To date, substantial research studies have been conducted in the field of ethical decision making in many disciplines. However, ethical efforts in the context of information technology have been limited. In this research, a focus has been put on modeling ethical decision making in cyberspace with emphasis on business intelligence scenarios. The model is comprised of six exogenous and two endogenous constructs, among them seven were delicately selected from valid and empirically tested ethical models and the eighth one is developed by the authors. After pre-testing the model by experts, reliability, convergent and discriminant validities were approved. Data were collected from 188 IT personnel in the banking industry of Iran. Results revealed that the perceived importance of an IT ethical issue, ethical judgment, ethical obligation, perceived possibility of disclosure, ego strength, and locus of control directly impact ethical intention. However, no impact from law on ethical obligation and codes of ethics on ethical intention was observed. As shown, a higher possibility on acting unethically occurs when the person feels confident that his/her actions will go unnoticed.

Fluid intelligence, traits of personality and personality disorders in a cohort of adult KS patients with the classic 47, XXY karyotype.

Klinefelter's syndrome (KS) is associated with specific neurobehavioral features and personality traits. The aim of our study was to investigate fluid intelligence, personality traits and personality disorders (PD) and possible correlations with testosterone in a cohort of adult KS patients. We analyzed 58 adult KS patients with the classic 47, XXY karyotype. The Structured Clinical Interview for axis II disorders was used to assess DSM IV personality disorders. Personality traits were assessed using MMPI-2. Fluid intelligence was tested by using Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) Test. Testosterone blood concentration was measured by CMIA. PD prevalence was 31%. Four altered MMPI scales (Social Responsibility, Dominance, Ego Strength and Repression) were found in more than 40% of patients. Overcontrolled hostility and MacAndrew Alcoholism Scale-Revised scales were altered in the PD- group only. Biz-Odd Thinking and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder scale were associated with the presence of personality disorder. The raw SPM score was 44±10.8 without any significant correlation with testosterone. No significant difference in mean age, SPM raw score and MMPI score was observed between eugonadal, hypogonadal and treated patients. Most KS patients had average fluid intelligence. PD prevalence was higher than in the general population. Testosterone was not correlated with fluid intelligence, personality traits or PD, but a reduction in marital distress was observed in treated patients. This could suggest that testosterone therapy can improve physical symptoms and this effect could also improve relationship abilities and wellness awareness.

Insomnia and sleep state misperception: Clinical features, diagnosis, management and implications

BackgroundInsomnia is a highly prevalent complaint, largely associated with mental disease. Clinical evidence classifies insomnia in 2 subtypes: with sleep misperception (WSM) and without sleep misperception (wSM). That presents distinctive pathophysiologic pathways and different public health implications.ObjectivesDescribe the main differences between primary insomnia WSM and wSM regarding:– clinical features;– diagnosis;– management;– implications.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review. PubMed, Embase and PsycInfo were searched from 2000–2016. The reference lists of systematic reviews, narrative synthesis and some important articles were included. Following the inclusion criteria, we selected 25 studies from 59 articles.ResultsThe prevalence of sleep-state misperception in primary insomniacs (total sleep time &gt; 6.5 h and sleep efficiency &gt; 85%) is around 26%. Insomniacs with normal sleep duration showed a profile of high depression and anxiety and low ego strength, whereas insomniacs with short sleep duration showed a profile of a medical disorder.Cortical hyperarousal is higher in insomniacs and could be related to an alteration in sleep protection mechanisms. The sleep architecture was relatively normal for the WSM comparing with the group wSM. Risk of cardiometabolic, neurocognitive morbidity and mortality, and responses to treatment are different between these two insomnia phenotypes. Patients with short sleep duration may respond better to biological treatments, whereas insomnia with normal sleep duration may respond primarily to psychological therapies.ConclusionsThe clinical characteristics of patients with sleep-state misperception differed from those without this condition. Available research related to these conditions is expanding rapidly, but many questions remain unanswered.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Identity Problems, Ego Strengths, Perceived Stress, and Adjustment During Contextual Changes at University

ABSTRACTWe present a 2-year time-lag study in which Canadian and Spanish students’ perceptions of stress, identity problems, and psychosocial maturity (ego strengths) were examined in relation to academic, social, and personal-emotional adjustment to university under different conditions of macro-environmental disruption (i.e., academic and economic) and no disruption (stability). In the academic disturbance context, students reported increased stress and the economic disruption situation was associated with greater identity problems. The expected relationships were found among the variables in the study. Students reported greater social maladjustment at university related to economic disruption in comparison with the academic and no disruption contexts. Ego strengths moderated the relationship between perceived stress with academic and social adjustment, respectively. In other words, delayed psychosocial development in conjunction with high perceived stress was associated with deficient academic and social functioning at university. The findings are considered in terms of psychosocial development and the role of proximal and distal perception of stressors in the functional well-being of university students.

Maximizing potential: A school-based conception of psychosocial development

Optimal talent development can only occur when high ability students are willing to take opportunities for growth in a domain and are able to persist when presented with challenges that accompany performance or production at the highest levels. This paper proposes the use of Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development to provide a framework through which schools can pursue a parallel path of psychosocial supports to reinforce the development of talent in any domain. Ego strength can be fortified by an active program of professional development, curricula, and research based on Erikson’s psychosocial stage theory. In addition to the age-based components, ego strength can be promoted by activities that support the essential strengths of hope, will, purpose, skill, fidelity, and love.

Response to “Thinking About Our Work: What Do We Mean by ‘Mental Health’?”

Response to “Thinking About Our Work: What Do We Mean by ‘Mental Health’?” Greg MacColl1 issn 0362-4021 © 2017 Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society group, Vol. 41, No. 2, Summer 2017 157 1 Faculty, Center for Group Studies, and private practice, Manhattan and Forest Hills, NY. Correspondence should be addressed to Greg MacColl, LCSW, CGP, FAGPA, 211 West 56th Street, 5-K, New York, NY 10019. E-mail: gregmaccoll@aol.com. Since I have been a clinical social worker, now almost 40 years in practice, I have seen great changes in the field. Some of this change has been troublesome; some of it has meant tremendous advances in the way we are able to practice our craft. My early training in group therapy came as a result of my first job as a social worker in the Bronx VA Medical Center. I was fortunate to take advantage of the group consultant, Dr. Robert E. Addison, LCSW, FAGPA, who ran the twice-monthly experiential group therapy consultation. He encouraged us to build group work into our social work responsibilities. He had us prescreen our patients, assessing their ability to sustain being a member of a group. We had to make a provisional evaluation on the diagnosis, including ego strengths and social awareness. This pushed us not only to see the patient before us, with all his or her struggles and human frailty, but also to clinically assess the patient’s mental status. This was very much a struggle for me, as it took my professional training to another level. It helped to give my training both a humanistic approach and one based on science. For many years, I struggled with the science part of my learning. When, during one of my consultation sessions with Dr. Addison (I was now in the early stages of private practice), I related an anecdote about a woman I was seeing in one of my groups. I told him how impossible I found her to work with. She questioned my every move. I wanted to get rid of her. His response to me was twofold. He asked me what diagnosis I felt she had. That was easy, as I told him she was “difficult.” He next asked me a little bit about her background that got her this label. I told him about her cruel father and her frightened and nonresponsive 158 maccoll mother. Then he asked me if I had it in me to have a little compassion for her, seeing how she had had little choice in how she developed. Although it was hard for me to do, I saw his point. He then recommended, since my practice was increasing and I was seeing more challenging patients in my groups, that I go into therapy in addition to my supervision. This saved my practice as well as my personal life. An understanding of the diagnosis of our group patients can help us in placing patients in particular groups, in weeding out the patients who may not be appropriate, and in balancing our groups with diverse memberships. So, in response to Kassan’s important question, I see a dual approach that I have struggled to embrace over the course of my evolution as an experienced professional social work psychotherapist who happens to specialize in group therapy—both in running groups and in training and supervising future group therapists: to be both intuitive and introspective and know one’s DSM diagnosis. What does this mean for the future? In every way—politically and economically, and with an increasing sensitivity to differences—we are challenged. How do we as psychotherapists succeed? My answer is in the study and practice of group work in our professional practice. In group, we and our patients are constantly challenged to go outside of our own comfort zones and imagine how it is to be another person who may seem different but also similar in many ways. We need to show the outside community that there is a science behind our activity that leads us to do the hard emphatic work needed to promote change. ...

The Efficacy of Hypnotherapy for Ego Strengthening and Negative Self-Talk in Female Heads of Households

Purpose: Females who are heads of households, due to considerable life difficulties, are a vulnerable population that needs more support, including psychological treatment and empowerment programs. The current paper aims at ego strengthening and decreasing negative self-talk as useful strategies to achieve this goal. Methods: This paper was a quasi-experimental study that aimed to strengthen the ego and reduce the negative self-talk through hypnotherapy in female-headed households. In this study, a sample of 30 Iranian women were selected by purposive Sampling from all female-headed households who had been referred for treatment was randomly divided into two groups (experimental and control), and eight 45-minute sessions of hypnotherapy were performed for them. The ego strength and self-talk of the subjects were measured using Psychosocial Inventory of Ego Strengths and Self-Talk Inventory. Results: Multiple Analysis of Covariance indicated there was a significant difference between the control and the experimental group in terms of ego strength Wilks’ Lambda = 0.29,F = 25.6,p < .001, and negative self-talk scores, Wilks’ Lambda = 0.49,F = 10.6,p = .001, on the posttest. And ego strength. In other words, after controlling the effect of pre-test or a covariate, ego strength was higher in the experimental group than in the control group, and the experimental group had less negative self-talk after treatment. Conclusions: The result of this study indicates that ego-strengthening-based hypnotherapy can be effective in reducing negative self-talk.

Intervención Arteterapéutica facilitadora de autonomía en una relación madre e hija

El presente artículo presenta un caso clínico infantil de arte terapia en el cual se trabajó hacia el logro de autonomía. El vínculo maternal era de intenso apego y se manifestaba por cuidados maternales no adecuados: lo cual interfería en el desarrollo saludable de la niña. Mediante el despliegue de experiencias creativas a través del arte, la niña logró auto-afirmarse y experimentar junto a la terapeuta un vínculo transferencial propicio, en donde ésta pudo funcionar como su yo auxiliar. La existencia de un espacio arte terapéutico seguro (espacio transicional) favoreció la continencia, constancia e independencia. En este espacio- separado de sus padres- la niña pudo desplegar libremente su capacidad creadora en compañía de su terapeuta; simbolizar e historizar. La aparición de narrativas lúdicas da muestra de cómo ésta, hacia el final del tratamiento pudo elaborar y simbolizar conflictos de carácter traumático, resultantes de su vínculo ambivalente con un padre hostil y maltratador.

Alexithymia, Defenses, and Ego Strength: Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Relationships with Psychological Well-Being and Depression.

Affect regulation is important to mental health. A deficit in one's ability to identify and express emotions (alexithymia), cognitive styles of regulating emotional conflict (defenses), and the capacity for integrative and complex self-other understanding (ego strength or maturity) need to be studied to understand how they relate to each other as well as to mental health and well-being. A sample of 415 community-dwelling adults from a major metropolitan area in the Midwest U.S., stratified for gender, age, and ethnicity, completed three methodologically different measures of affect regulation along with measures of well-being and depression. Six years later, 49% of the sample again reported their well-being and depression. At baseline, ego strength and the defenses of principalization and reversal correlated negatively with alexithymia and the other defenses (turning against self, turning against object and projection), even after controlling for negative affect. Cross-sectionally, relationships were largely as hypothesized, with low alexithymia, use of mature defenses, and greater ego strength correlating with less depression and greater well-being, although some of these relationships were attenuated after controlling for negative affect. Prospectively, each of the affect regulation measures predicted hypothesized changes in well-being after 6 years, after controlling for baseline well-being, but affect regulation did not predict changes in depression. These findings illuminate similarities and differences among these affect regulation constructs, suggest the importance of differentiating well-being from depression, and reveal that affect regulation uniquely predicts changes in long-term well-being.

Correlational Analysis of Self-Regulation and Self-Efficacy with the Individuation Process among Adults

The individuation process demarcates the core concept of Jungian Psychology that represents various systems and structures of personality. Jung defined individuation as the process by which a person becomes “a psychological in-dividual, that is separate, indivisible unity or whole that begins after the 35th year and is necessary for survival. Self-Regulation is one’s ability to monitor, regulate and control one’s behavior. According to Jung, individuation lies at the heart of one’s individuation process. Self-Efficacy is defined as the ability of an individual to realize his/her potential to the fullest irrespective of adversities and obstacles. According to Jung, the primary goal of humans is to move toward the fulfillment or realization of their capabilities (Self-Efficacy) and achieving individuation. Against this backdrop, the present investigation was designed to study the relationship between self-regulation and self-efficacy with the individuation process among adults. Sample for the study consisted of 240 adults, age ranging 40-50 years, having a stable career and married life. Data was collected using questionnaires pertaining to the variables from Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula and Ludhiana. Since, it is the first of its kind attempt in the Indian context to provide elusive character to the construct of individuation, the index for individuation consisted of a cumulative score of self-concept, ego strength and inner directedness. The study consisted of two hypotheses: 1) Self-Regulation will have a positive significant relationship with the individuation process. 2) Self-Efficacy will have a positive significant relationship with the individuation process. Statistical analysis was done using Pearson’s product moment correlation to study the relationship between self-regulation and self-efficacy and the individuation process. Results indicated that both self-regulation and self-efficacy were found to have positive significant relationship with the individuation process, thereby, both the hypotheses stand proved. However, more studies need to be conducted to validate the construct of Individuation process in the Indian context

THE ROLE OF AN IMMIGRANT MOTHER IN HER ADOLESCENT'S IDENTITY FORMATION: "WHO AM I?".

Immigration is a complex bio-psycho-social process and the immigrant mother has a truly complex task in lending her ego strength to her adolescent offspring. The normal adolescence's decathexis of the love object and the consequent search for a new object may not happen smoothly for those adolescents whose mothers are immigrants. The immigration experience may cause the immigrant mother, who lost her motherland, deeper disturbance in self-identity as well as disequilibrium in her psychic structure, which in turn impacts adversely her adolescent's development. The adolescent's inadequate early experience with an immigrant mother may result in a deeper disturbance in his separation-individuation process as well as his identification process. An immigrant mother who has not mourned adequately, with a different sociocultural background has to go through a far more complex development of motherhood. The case of an adolescent boy, Jason, demonstrates the impact of immigrant motherhood on his ego development.

The Effects of Ego Strength, Failure Tolerance, and Performance Anxiety on School-Age Children’s School Class Adjustment: A Focus on Gender Differences

Objective: The purposes of this study were to examine the effects of school-age children`s ego strength, failure tolerance, and performance anxiety on their school class adjustment, and to model the relation structure of the variables. Method: For these purposes, a questionnaire survey was conducted with 562 6th graders. Results and Conclusion: The results of this study are summarized as follows. First, ego strength, failure tolerance, and performance anxiety were significantly different according to gender. Second, in male students, ego strength, failure tolerance, and performance anxiety had a significant direct effect on school class adjustment. In addition, ego strength and failure tolerance had a significant indirect effect on school class adjustment. Third, female students` paths to school class adjustment were similar to male students` but the effect of failure tolerance on performance anxiety and the effect of performance anxiety on school class adjustment were not significant. Fourth, in the results of multi-group analysis, the effect path from ego strength to school class adjustment was different between male and female students, and the effect was higher in female students than in male students.