Perceived self and parental representations and ego development in adolescence

Erika Carmen Koschei, Pace University

Abstract

The study of the relationship between ego development and object relations has received little empirical attention despite the potential contribution such findings could have for our understanding of personality development and structure. This study explored the relationship between these diverse but related conceptions in a sample of 162 normal adolescents, ranging in age from 14 to 19. There were 92 females and 70 males. Loevinger's Washington University Sentence Completion Test was used to measure ego development. Parker, Tupling and Brown's Parental Bonding Instrument was used as one measure of parental representations on the variables Care and Overprotection, Blatt, Chevron, Quinlan, & Wein's Assessment of Qualitative and Structural Dimensions of Object Representations was used as a second measure of parental representation and was also scored for self representation along the factors Ambition, Punitiveness, and Benevolence. It was hypothesized that there would be a significant difference in self and object representations due to the mediating influence of level of ego development. This hypothesis was partially confirmed. Further, it was hypothesized that there would be a significant and positive correlation between level of ego development on the WUSCT and the conceptual level score on the ASQDOR. This hypothesis was confirmed. There appears to be at least tentative support for the mediating influence of ego development on self and object representation.

Subject Area

Developmental psychology|Psychotherapy

Recommended Citation

Koschei, Erika Carmen, "Perceived self and parental representations and ego development in adolescence" (1990). ETD Collection for Pace University. AAI9105319.
https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/dissertations/AAI9105319

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