Washington University Sentence Completion Test Research Articles

The relationship between stages of ego development and personal constructs

Utilized the Washington University Sentence Completion test (WUSC) and the Landfield grid form of the Kelly Role Construct Repertory test (Rep) to investigate possible relationships between stages of ego development and several different facets of personal constructs. These facets of construct dimensions included both content and structural aspects such as organization (operationally defined by the Functionally Independent Construction (FIC) score), relative looseness-tightness of constructs, and permeability. The sample consisted of 30 males and 30 females, who represented a broad range of ego functioning. The results showed a statistically significant relationship between ego level and the frequency of use of three content categories: High Self-Sufficiency, Factual Description, and Emotional Arousal. No significant relationship was found between ego functioning and the three structural aspects of construct dimensions.

Psychological maturity and subjective well-being: Toward a new synthesis.

Alker and Gawin (1978) proposed that happiness or well-being is higher among more psychologically mature individuals, and that happiness is qualitatively different for individuals of different levels of maturity. Using the Loevinger Washington University Sentence Completion Test (WUSCT; Loevinger & Wessler, 1970) as a measure of developmental maturity, together with the Bradburn Affect Balance Scale (Bradburn, 1969) and two additional measures of subjective wellbeing in a sample of 240 adult males, the present study failed to replicate the association of maturity with well-being. Further, the personality dispositions of neuroticism and extraversion were found to show significant relations to happiness regardless of maturity level of subjects. It was proposed that developmental level may determine the occasions or interpretations of happiness or unhappiness but that the quality and quantity of the experience of subjective well-being itself is independent of maturity. Theory and research on the nature of happiness (or the closely related constructs of life satisfaction, morale, and subjective wellbeing) have resulted in a growing understanding of its determinants. Survey research (Andrews & Withey, 1976) has shown the modest contributions of sociodemographic variables to well-being. Adaptation-level theory has been used to explain the unexpectedly small differences in happiness between groups sharply contrasted in objective quality of life (Brickman, Coates, & Janoff-Bulman, 1978). The role of the enduring personality dispositions of neuroticism and extraversion in predicting characteristic levels of well-being has been demonstrated using a variety of measures of both personality and well-being, with predictive intervals of over 10 years (Costa & McCrae, 1980a; Costa, McCrae,

The conceptual commonality between impulsiveness as a personality trait and as an ego development stage

This research was an attempt to demonstrate the conceptual commonality between impulsiveness as a trait and as an ego development stage through correlations on measures of both. An Eysenckian measure of broad trait impulsiveness (ImpB) consisting of four impulsiveness subscales, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and the Washington University Sentence Completion Test (WUSCT) of ego development were administered to 62 male students and 101 female students distributed across three different educational levels (Junior High, Senior High and College). Significant correlations between ImpB and the WUSCT (-0.23 for the males and -0.31 for the females) supported the hypothesized commonality. Correlations between the WUSCT and the four impulsiveness subscales indicated that Narrow Impulsiveness and Risk-taking were more indicative of ego development than Non-planning or Liveliness. Age trends in the patterns of correlations demonstrated that the commonality between trait impulsiveness and ego development was limited to the early stages of ego development. Sex differences on a number of trait measures and on the WUSCT indicated that males lag behind females in ego development during adolescence. It was hypothesized that the aspect of impulsiveness most indicative of ego development was an unsocialized aspect which might be captured by Eysenck's dimension of psychoticism (P). Correlations between P and WUSCT supported this hypothesis (-0.49 for the males and -0.29 for the females). P apparently has more concept commonality with ego development than has trait impulsiveness. Age trends and sex differences in impulsiveness, psychoticism, and aggressiveness were discussed. It was argued that these personality characteristics would be better understood if explored within a developmental framework such as ego development.

Note on Maternal Authoritarian Attitudes and Cognitive Performance in Kindergarten Children

Moderate correlations are reported between 27 maternal scores on the Authoritarian Family Ideology scale, the Washington University Sentence Completion Test for Ego Development, and kindergarten children's (12 girls and 15 boys) classroom behavior and cognitive test scores. Results confirmed predictions of significant negative correlations between maternal ideology scores, group cognitive test performance, and task-oriented classroom behavior, but not between the ideology scores and individual test performance.

Ego Development and Sociometrically Evaluated Maturity: An Investigation of the Validity of the Washington University Sentence Completion Test of Ego Development

The reported study was an attempt to validate the Washington University Sentence Completion Test of Ego Development (WU-SCT), using a broad, sociometric index of maturity as the criterion variable. Sixty college women living in a sorority house completed the WU-SCT and evaluated one another's readiness for mature functioning in each of four adult social roles: career, marriage, parenthood, and community involvement. The reliabilities and the intercorrelations of the ratings suggested that peers distinguished two facets of maturity. While results support the hypothesized relationship between WU-SCT scores and a global sociometric index of maturity, the test's substantial correlations with indices relating to relatively impersonal roles (career and community) and apparent lack of correlation with indices relating to intimate interpersonal roles (marital and parental) suggests that the validity of the WU-SCT may be less broad than Loevinger's theory would imply. Several alternative interpretations of the data are suggested.

Relations Between Level of Ego Development and Adjustment Pattern in Adolescents

The present study was designed to assess the relation between Loevinger's hierarchy of ego development stages, measured by the Washington University Sentence Completion Test, and adjustment patterns as measured by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. A total of 150 high school students between the ages of 14 and 15, 75 boys and 75 girls, served as subjects. It was hypothesized that certain adjustment patterns were more prevalent at certain points of the ego development hierarchy than at others, specifically: (a) hypochondriasis and psychopathic deviance at the ego stages below conformity; (b) hysteria at the conformist ego level; and (c) obsessive-compulsiveness and paranoia at the ego stages above conformity. All of these hypotheses, except that regarding psychopathic deviance, were supported by the data. One unpredicted relationship, a tendency for depression to be most characteristic of the conformist ego group, was found.

Ego development and psychopathology.

The relationship between ego development and psychopathology was studied, using Loevinger's Washington University Sentence Completion Blank and ego development rating method. The levels of ego development of the population at a private psychiatric clinic were found to be significantly lower than those of Loevinger's manual construction and revision sample. Using the MMPI as a classification guide, individuals at the lower levels of ego development were found to be primarily diagnosed as character-logical. The relationship between ego development and IQ on the WAIS was also noted. The present study adds credence to the usefulness of Loevinger's Washington University Sentence Completion Test for Ego Development as a clinical instrument.

Ego development in adolescence: Longitudinal studies

Adolescents from four schools (one inner-city, two suburban, and one private) were tested two or three times using the Washington University Sentence Completion Test of Ego Development. Testing intervals ranged from 1.5 to 6 years. About half (N=193) the original pool was retested at twelfth grade. Every sample showed a mean rise in ego level; for six of eight samples that rise was statistically significant. Every pair of testings showed a postive correlation between scores; 10 of 14 correlations were significantly different from zero. Thus both test-retest correlations (about 0.5) and change scores support the hypothesized sequence of ego development. Significant correlation between ego level and intelligence occurred in two schools (0.6 at elementary and junior high grades and 0.4 at twelfth grade), but correlation was about zero in the private school.

Ego Development and Conformity: A Construct Validity Study of the Washington University Sentence Completion Test

Loevinger's conception of ego development predicts a curvilinear relation between it and conformity. Using 107 private-school boys in grades 8, 9, and 11, self-report, peer-nomination, and experimental (Willis) measures of conformity were given. An archival measure, number of demerits, was also obtained. As predicted, the self-report and archival measures show maximum conformity between the Self-Protective and Conscientious Stages as measured by the sentence completion test. These results are not artifacts of age or IQ. The Willis test does not correlates significantly any other variable, and the peer ratings were methodologically suspect. Thus one aspect of the conception of ego development is partially confirmed. Conformity. as measured by these typical tests, is shown not to be a unitary variable.

Relationship between Ego Development and Attitudes toward Women

This study examined the relationship between liberal attitudes toward the role of women (as measured by the Attitudes Toward Women Scale) and mature ego level (as measured by the Washington University Sentence Completion Test) in 56 freshman women volunteers (28 enrolled in Women's Studies and 28 in freshman English). Liberal attitudes were positively correlated (.21 to .39) with both global measures of ego development for each group of subjects. These findings suggest that an important dimension of the Women's Movement may be the espousal of principles of self-realization and identity associated with higher ego level.