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Ego development in the college years: Two longitudinal studies

Journal of Youth and Adolescence volume 12, pages 301–306 (1983)Cite this article

Abstract

Students from a two-year and a five-year college were tested twice at four-and four-and-a-half-year intervals using the Sentence Completion Test of Ego Development. In both samples retest scores were positively correlated with initial scores (0.39 and 0.49) and were significantly higher in ego level (typically a half-stage). These data are consistent with the developmental hypothesis that ego growth occurs according to a fixed sequence of stages, and suggest that rate of growth decreases with age. In one sample women were higher in ego level than men at the beginning of the study, but in neither sample were sex differences significant at retest.

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Author information

Affiliations

  1. Clinical psychologist, Care and Counseling, Inc., 12145 Ladue Rd., 63141, St. Louis, Missouri

    Carolyn D. Redmore

Authors
  1. Carolyn D. Redmore
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Additional information

These studies were supported by Grant MH-05115 from the National Institute of Mental Health, Public Health Service, principal investigator Jane Loevinger.

Received her Ph. D. from Washington University. Main interest is psychoanalytic psychotherapy.

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Redmore, C.D. Ego development in the college years: Two longitudinal studies. J Youth Adolescence 12, 301–306 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02088728

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02088728

Keywords

  • Longitudinal Study
  • Health Psychology
  • School Psychology
  • Fixed Sequence
  • Initial Score