Affective Personality Characteristics Associated with Undergraduate Ego Identity Formation

Abstract

The characteristics involved in ego identity formation in the areas of occupation, religion and politics, and existing gender differences were examined using 144 undergraduates (59 males) and (85 females). The Dellas Identity Status Inventory-Occupation, -Religious Beliefs, and -Political Ideology (three objective scales) assessed identity statuses, and the Omnibus Personality Inventory (OPI) assessed personality characteristics. Different characteristics discriminated among the statuses in each area: impulse expression and religious orientation in occupation; autonomy, anxiety, and religious orientation in religion; and thinking introversion in politics. The OPI masculinity-femininity scale did not differentiate among the statuses in any area, and no area demonstrated significant Gender x Status interaction effects for the personality variables.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Adams, G. R. , Ryan, J. H. , Hoffman, J. J. , Dobson, W. R. , & Nielsen, W. C. (1985). Ego identity status, conformity behaviors, and personality in late adolescence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 47, 1091-1104.

Adams, G. R. , & Shea, J. (1979). The relationship between identity status, locus of control, and ego development. Journal of Youth andAdolescence, 8, 81-89.

Archer, S. L. (1982). The lower age boundaries of identity development. Child Development, 53, 1551-1556.

Archer, S. L. , & Waterman, A. S. (1988). Psychological individualism: Gender differences or gender neutrality? Human Development, 31, 65-81.

Dellas, M. , & Gaier, E. L. (1969). Modes of conformity of freshmen women at differently oriented colleges. Journal of Educational Research, 62, 370-374.

Dellas, M. , & Jernigan, L. P. (1981). Development of an objective instrument to measure identity status in terms of occupation crisis and commitment. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 41, 1039-1050.

Dellas, M. , & Jernigan, L. P. (1986, August). Occupational identity status development, gender comparisons and internal-external control in first-yearA ir Force cadets. Paper presented at the 94th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.

Dellas, M. , & Jernigan, L. P. (1987a). Occupational identity status development, gender comparisons and internal-external control in first-year Air Force cadets. Journal of Youth andAdolescence, 16, 587-600.

Dellas, M. , & Jernigan, L. P. (1987b, October). Development of objective instruments to assess ego identity status in terms of religious beliefs and political ideology. Paper presented at the 1987 Midwestern Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.

10.

Erikson, E. H. (1963). Childhood and society (2nd ed.). New York: Norton.

11.

Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. New York: Norton.

12.

Erikson, E. H. (1980). Identity and the life cycle. New York: Norton.

13.

Grotevant, H. D. , & Thorbecke, W. L. (1982). Sex differences in styles of occupational identity formation in late adolescence. Developmental Psychology, 18, 396-405.

14.

Heist, P. (Ed.). (1968). The creative college student: An unmet challenge. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

15.

Heist, P. , & Younge, G. (1968). Manualfor the Omnibus Personality Inventory-Form F, New York: Psychological Corporation.

16.

Huffman, S. P. (1985). Identity status as apredictorof traditional ornontraditional careerchoice for women. (Doctoral dissertation, Texas A&M University, 1984). Dissertation Abstracts International, 45A, 2805A.

17.

Katz, J. (1968). Four years of growth, conflict and compliance. In J. Katz (Ed.), No time for youth: Growth and constraint in college students (pp. 3-73). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

18.

Marcia, J. E. (1965). Determination and construct validity of ego identity status (Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 1964). Dissertation Abstracts, 25, 6763.

19.

Marcia, J. E. (1966). Development and validation of ego-identity status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 3, 551-556.

20.

Marcia, J. E. (1967). Ego identity status: Relationship to change in self-esteem, "general maladjustment," and authoritarianism: Journal of Personality, 35, 119-133.

21.

Marcia, J. E. (1980). Identity in adolescence. In J. Adelson (Ed.), Handbook of adolescent psychology (pp. 159-187). New York: Wiley.

22.

Marcia, J. E. , & Friedman, M. L. (1970). Ego identity status in college women. Journal of Personality, 38, 249-263.

23.

Matteson, D. R. (1974). Alienation versus exploration and commitment: Personality andfamily correlaries of adolescent identity statuses. Report from the Project for Youth Research. Copenhagen: Royal Danish School of Educational Studies.

24.

Orlofsky, J. L. , Marcia, J. E. , & Lesser, I. M. (1973). Ego identity status and the intimacy versus isolation crisis of young adulthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 27, 211-219.

25.

Riesman, D. (1950). The lonely crowd. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

26.

Schenkel, S. , & Marcia, J. E. (1972). Attitudes toward premarital intercourse in determining ego identity status in college women. Journal of Personality, 3, 472-482.

27.

Waterman, A. S. (1982). Identity development from adolescence to adulthood: An extension of theory and review of research. Developmental Psychology, 18, 341-358.

28.

Waterman, A. S. , Geary, P. S. , & Waterman, C. K. (1974). Longitudinal study of changes in ego identity status from the freshman to the senior year at college. Development Psychology, 10, 387-392.

29.

Waterman, A. S. , & Goldman, J. A. (1976). A longitudinal study of ego identity development at a liberal arts college. Journal of Youth andAdolescence, 5, 361-369.

30.

Waterman, A. S. , & Waterman, C. K. (1971). A longitudinal study of changes of ego identity status during the freshman year at college. Developmental Psychology, 5, 167-173.

31.

Waterman, C. K. , Buebel, M. E. , & Waterman, A. S. (1970). The relationship between resolution of the identity crisis and outcomes of previous psychosocial crises [Summary]. Proceedings of the 78th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, 5, 467-468.

32.

Waterman, C. K. , & Waterman, A. S. (1974). Ego identity status and decision styles. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 3, 1-6.

33.

Webster, H. , Freedman, M. , & Heist, P. (1962). Personality changesin collegestudents. In N. Sanford (Ed.), TheAmerican college (pp. 821-834). New York: Wiley.