Development and validation of ego-identity status.

TLDR

Ego identity and identity diffusion represent opposite outcomes of the psychosocial crisis in late adolescence, during which individuals must integrate childhood identifications to prepare for adult occupational and ideological commitments. The study classified 86 college men into one of four identity statuses based on crisis and commitment in occupation and ideology, assessed via individual interviews, and examined their performance on a concept‑attainment task, goal‑setting patterns, authoritarianism, and self‑esteem vulnerability. Four distinct identity statuses were identified and validated; individuals with higher ego identity excelled on the concept‑attainment task, whereas those who followed parental wishes set unrealistically high goals and endorsed more authoritarian values, while self‑esteem measures failed to differentiate statuses due to unreliability.

Abstract

4 modes of reacting to the late adolescent identity crisis were described, measured, and validated. Criteria for inclusion in 1 of 4 identity statuses were the presence of crisis and commitment in the areas of occupation and ideology. Statuses were determined for 86 college male Ss by means of individual interviews. Performance on a stressful concept-attainment task, patterns of goal setting, authoritarianism, and vulnerability to self-esteem change were dependent variables. Ss higher in ego identity performed best on the conceptattainment task; those in the status characterized by adherence to parental wishes set goals unrealistically high and subscribed significantly more to authoritarian values. Failure of the self-esteem condition to discriminate among the statuses was attributed to unreliability in self-esteem measurement. Ego identity and identity diffusion (Erikson, 19S6, 1963) refer to polar outcomes of the hypothesized psychosocial crisis occurring in late adolescence. Erikson views this phase of the life cycle as a time of growing occupational and ideological commitment. Facing such imminent adult tasks as getting a job and becoming a citizen, the individual is required to synthesize childhood identifications in such a way that he can both establish a reciprocal relationship with his society and maintain a feeling of continuity within himself. Previous studies have attempted to determine the extent of ego-identity achievement by means of an adjustment measure and the semantic differential technique (Bronson, 19S9), a Q-sort measure of real-ideal-se lf discrepancy (Gruen, 1960), a measure of role variability based on adjective ranking (Block,