Differential Effects of Two Interventions for Promoting Ego Development in Late Adolescence (Psychological Education, Group Counseling, Taiwan)

Abstract

The personality trait of conformity in the Chinese was related to the ego development theories developed by Loevinger and other structural-development theorists, and was conceived of as an important factor that hinders the ego development of Chinese late adolescents. The purpose of the percent study was to use a psychological intervention to promote the ego development of some selected late adolescent subjects in Taiwan.

Subjects were 36 college freshmen volunteers. Three instruments were used: Washington University Sentence Completion Test (SCT), Defining Issues Test (DIT), and a self designed Program Evaluation Questionnaire. All testing were administered in Chinese. In addition to the prettest and posttest, a five-month-later follow-up observation was obtained.

The experimental group adopted the method of direct discussion developed by Blatt (1969) with moderate modification, while the alternative treatment control group employed a form of didactic teaching. Each session was composed of 13 sessions (two and a half hours per session, one session per week). The third group was a no-treatment control group. Hypotheses for the study were that the experimental treatment would have a significant immediate effect as well as a long-term effect on promoting the subjects' level of ego development and moral reasoning, and the effect of the alternative treatment would not be significant.

Research findings supported the hypotheses in terms of immediate effect (p < .05, SCT, p < .01, DIT), but long-term effect was only partially supported (p < .05, DIT). The intervention of experimental group was found more effective than that of alternative treatment group.

The decline of follow-up test scores was interpreted as due to lack of continuing stimulus object and favorable environmental factors. The theoretical assumption about the irreversibility of ego development was questioned in the discussion. To explicate the structural change in each individual, more qualitiative analyses of experiential data were suggested for further studies. Practical implication of the present study is mainly for the special advisor system in most of Taiwanese colleges.