At first consideration, the worlds of the classroom, the psychotherapy office and the experimental psychology laboratory may seem disparate settings with no obvious connection among them. In this article, the author would like to draw such a connection and to suggest the relevance of psychosocial developmental theory and research to self-regulated…

The process of making meaning is a core determinant of human experience. Understanding this process, developmentally, is a vital part of integral counseling. In this article, the authors introduce the concept of ego development stages as increasingly complex and flexible systems of meaning making. An understanding of ego development stages can…

How do the goals we once cherished but can no longer pursue relate to maturity? The authors asked adults who have experienced challenging life transitions to describe the life goals they once sought but no longer do and those goals that motivate their lives now. The authors conducted research which examines how adults' views of their lost and…

Two developmental stage theories concerned with moral development (Kohlberg) and ego development (Loevinger) were compared. Correlational relationships between the stages of each theory were measured, and a contingency table that visually portrayed the relationships between the stages was included. The study was based on two hypotheses: (1) There…

This book presents a study of cognitive-affective interdependence as shown in children's fantasy behavior. The systems of Piaget and Freud are the foundation of analysis. The study data consist of approximately one hundred verbatim recordings of the dramatic play of 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds (in groups or alone) collected by trained teachers in a…

An Analysis of responses to the Spence-Helmreich Attitudes Toward Women Scale by the Loevinger-Wessler Stages of ego development is presented in this article. The ANOVA results show a clear trend for attitude scores of women to increase toward equality and choice as their ego stage increases. (Author)

Treatment of a sexually abused woman who lacked a sense of autonomy and self-worth is described in the context of entitlement, the transient sense of being an exception to ordinary rules of morality and ethics. Entitlement in this case was considered a developmental stage of autonomy and independence of the body. (Author/JDD)

Describes an exercise that addresses a number of developmental issues in a family and parenting class. The exercise requires students to write a semiautobiographical personal letter. Reports that students responded favorably to this exercise, suggesting a number of beneficial outcomes. Recommendations for instructors are provided. (KO)

This paper reports the results of an ongoing study of individuals' ego control and ego resiliency. The study began with 130 subjects in 1969 when the subjects were in nursery school. At the most recent assessment, 104 participants still remained. Ego control is defined as the degree and kind of control individuals exert over their impulses, and…

This research review adopts a developmental perspective to the problem of gifted underachievement. It covers affective development characteristics, focusing on self-concept, locus of control, and personality and temperament; environmental influences such as family and school; and strategies for holistic development through a combination of direct…

The first in a series of related reports (see TM 000 775), this paper attempts to define a concept of psychosocial maturity which would be appropriate as a comprehensive educational goal. Biological, sociological, psychological and temporal formulations of maturity are discussed and compared. Am interdisciplinary model of maturity is evolved which…

Presents the results of a study that tested students in a research methods and a developmental psychology class on methodological and statistical reasoning at the beginning and the end of the term. Reasoning scores of research methods students improved more than the scores of developmental psychology students. (MJP)