Ego development

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The ego development , a related step model of personality development by Jane Loevinger in developmental psychology . The US psychologist developed it in the 1960s with reference to Kohlberg's theory of moral development . Among other things, it shares the assessment that the development is more gradual than continuous; the empirical justification for a typical sequence of development phases is similar.

In the course of her studies of familial intervention patterns, Loevinger came across unexplained regularities in her personal data, which she ultimately interpreted as developmental sequences. In the course of her further research at Washington University , she devoted herself to measuring and researching these “master traits” of personality. It understands the “I structure”, which is subject to development, as the authority which determines how a person perceives and interprets himself and the world. Loevinger does not start with the ego as a psychological entity (such as the ego in psychoanalysis ), but as a process that organizes a person's thoughts and experiences - an explicit definition of "I" and "I development" however, she systematically refuses. You have decided to start examining the steps right away.

Background and feedback

The model of ego development is based on a constructivist understanding of development that goes back to the structural genetic approach of Jean Piaget and the theories of Loevinger's trainers Erik H. Erikson and Harry Stack Sullivan . This approach assumes that the thought structures with which an individual gains an understanding of his world are built up and worked out step by step. We speak of development when these structures gradually become more differentiated and integrated.

Jane Loevinger's writings have not yet appeared in German. Their reception in German-speaking countries is rather reserved; Only one of the textbooks in developmental psychology presented its model: Oerter / Montada - it no longer appears in the new edition (Schneider / Lindenberger). However, the model is very popular in the coaching field ; Here it is still called “after Loevinger”, but it is mixed with transpersonal approaches and has a different aim.

Levels of ego development

Loevinger's model of ego development distinguishes nine levels, whereby she cannot make any statements about the first (E1) because, with her open method, verbal abilities must be assumed in the child. These are operationalized from the impulsive level (E2) , since they are reliably and validly measured using a sentence completion test developed by Loevinger.

According to Loevinger, the adult ego structure largely corresponds to levels E4 to E7; the median is level five. It must be noted, however, that this assessment of Loevinger relates to her contemporaneity and that normative expectations also resonate in this ascription. She locates the beginning of development very generally “in the mists of infancy” (“in the mists of infancy”, 1997, p. 203). However, it assumes that not everyone reaches all levels, especially not the last level of "integration", which is characterized by the full development of personality and is seldom observed.

Stage of development Main characteristics
E 2 Impulsive level Earliest stage that can be measured (using the sentence completion test). At this stage the toddler has achieved self-awareness as an independent person. The impulses are a kind of confirmation of this independence, but the child initially has no control over them. The focus is on your own physical needs.
E 3 Level of self-protection The child is aware of the impulses as such, enough to exercise some control, to protect themselves and to gain at least some immediate advantage. This is the self-protection phase. In young children there is a natural addiction, self-centeredness, and self-calculating of benefit. The toddler's love of ritual is likely part of early self-control efforts. The emotional range is limited and the conceptual range is simple. Usually this phase ends with childhood and adolescence.
E 4 Conformist level At the conformist level, the self identifies with the group, whichever group it is: the family in childhood and later the group of peers, etc. Thinking is stereotyped; the range of emotions is limited to basic emotions - happy, sad, crazy, happy, etc. - but it is larger than in previous phases.
E 5 Level of self-awareness The person at this level has gone beyond the conformist's simplified rules and admonitions to see that there are allowable contingencies and exceptions. Although he is still basically a conformist, the person at this level is aware that he or she does not always meet the stated standards of the group. There is greater emotional and cognitive range. There is a greater awareness that the self is separate from the group, which sometimes leads to a characteristic loneliness or a sense of self. However, that does not mean that people at this level are less adapted than those at other levels.
E 6 Level of conscientiousness At the conscientious level, the person lives by their own ideals and standards rather than just seeking group approval. By this stage, the person has acquired a rich, nuanced inner life, with a wide range of vocabulary to express emotions. At this stage the person has long-term goals and ideals. The elements of a mature conscience are present.
E 7 Individualistic level The stage beyond the level of conscientiousness is called the individualistic stage. At this level one begins to develop an awareness of the paradoxes and contradictions in life. People become aware of development as a process and their place in life; they think in terms of psychological causal relationships and take a comprehensive view of life as a whole.
E 8 Level of autonomy At the autonomous level there is a further development of those characteristics that already appear on the individualistic level. Where the self-protecting person uses a biting humor, the autonomous person often shows a kind of existential humor by seeing life situations with irony. Instead of seeing situations in terms of diametrically opposed decisions of good and bad, one is aware of the multifaceted complexity of situations and life decisions. Above all, there is respect for other people and their need for autonomy, including one's own children, for whom one is responsible. At the same time, there is a growing tendency to see one's life in the context of broader social issues.
E 9 Level of integration The theoretically highest level, that of integration, can rarely be observed in samples from the general population. At this stage the characteristics of the individualistic and autonomous stages are more pronounced. In addition, there is a certain ability to integrate the vital concerns of one's life with those of society. A good characterization of this phase is Maslow's (1954) description of the self-actualizing person.

See also

literature

Basics:

  • Jane Loevinger: The meaning and measurement of ego development. In: American Psychologist . 21, 1966, pp. 195-206.
  • Jane Loevinger: Recent Research on Ego Development. National Institute of Mental Health (DHEW), Bethesda, Md., 1973. Online: Recent Research on Ego Development. . Institute of Education Sciences. March 31, 1973, accessed January 28, 2020
  • Jane Loevinger: Ego development. Conceptions and theories. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco 1976, ISBN 0-87589-275-2 .
  • Jane Loevinger: Measurement of personality: True or false. In: Psychological Inquiry. 4 (1), 1993, pp. 1-16.
  • Jane Loevinger: Stages of Personality Development. In: Robert Hogan et al.: Handbook of Personality Psychology, Academic Press, San Diego 1997, pp. 199-208. ISBN 978-0-12-134645-4
  • Le Xuan Hy and Jane Loevinger: Measuring ego development . Second edition. Lawrence Erlbaum, Mahwah, NJ, 1996.
  • J. Manners, K. Durkin: A critical review of the validity of ego development theory and its measurement. In: Journal of Personality Assessment. 77, 2001, pp. 541-567.

Applications:

  • Thomas Binder: Development of the self for effective advice . 2nd edition, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2019 ISBN 978-3-525-40378-5
  • Susanne R. Cook-Greuter: Mature Ego Development: A Gateway to Ego Transcendence? In: Journal of Adult Development , Vol. 7, No. 4, 2000, pp. 227-240.
  • D. Rooke, W. Torbert: Organizational transformation as a function of CEO's developmental stage. In: Organization Development Journal. 16 (1), 1998, pp. 11-28.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Loren Lee, John Snarey: The Relationship Between Ego and Moral Development: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis Review . In: Self, Ego, and Identity: Integrative Approaches . Springer, New York, NY 1988, ISBN 978-1-4615-7834-5 , pp. 151-178 , doi : 10.1007 / 978-1-4615-7834-5_8 .
  2. ↑ Jane Loevinger: Ego development. Conceptions and theories. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco 1976.
  3. ↑ Rolf Oerter, Leo Montada (ed.): Developmental Psychology . 6th, completely revised edition, Beltz, Weinheim / Basel 2008.
  4. ↑ Wolfgang Schneider, Ulman Lindenberger (Ed.): Developmental Psychology . 7th, completely revised edition, Beltz, Weinheim / Basel 2012
  5. ^ Susanne R. Cook-Greuter: Mature Ego Development: A Gateway to Ego Transcendence? In: Journal of Adult Development , Vol. 7, No. 4, 2000, pp. 227-240
  6. ↑ cf. z. B. the book title "I-Development for Effective Consulting", by Thomas Binder, Göttingen 2019
  7. ^ Le Xuan Hy and Jane Loevinger: Measuring ego development. Second edition. Lawrence Erlbaum, Mahwah, NJ, 1996.
  8. ↑ Günter Krampen, Werner Greve: Personality and self-concept development over the life span . In: Rolf Oerter, Leo Montada (Ed.): Developmental Psychology . 6th, completely revised edition, Beltz, Weinheim / Basel 2008, pp. 652–687, here:  668 f.
  9. ↑ The overview follows the formulations of Loevinger, 1997, pp. 203 ff.