Abstract
Ego development and impulsivity data were collected from an early adolescence group (Mean age= 14.8) and a late adolescence group (Mean age= 18.7). Ego development was measured with the Washington University Sentence Completion Test. The WUSCT is a 36-item sentence completion projective test developed by Loevinger. Impulsivity was measured through the use of the impulsivity and risk taking scales developed by Eysenck. The interrater reliability of the WUSCT was established and parcels of ego development, impulsivity, and word count items were entered into a parcel factor analysis. The factor analysis revealed differences in the order and strength of the factors for the two adolescence groups. Ego development was significantly higher in the older group and impulsivity seemed to be a more substantial component of ego functioning for the early adolescence group. The feasibility of factor analyzing the WUSCT was demonstrated and future directions for identity and ego development research were suggested.
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