The Relationship between Marcia's Ego Identity Statuses and Kegan's Subject-Object Balances during Late Adolescence

Two models for analyzing thinking about personal identity issues were compared: Marcia's ego identity status system and Kegan's subject-object balances. A total of 61 late adolescent participants (36 women, 25 men) were given Marcia et al.'s (1993) ego identity status interview and Lahey et al.'s (1987) subject-object interview in separate one-hour sessions as part of a larger investigation of identity development during late adolescence. Marcia's ego identity statuses and Kegan's subject object balances were significantly, positively related to one another. There were no gender differences on either measure. Also the use of Kegan's scheme for describing transitions between stages suggests the possibility of different phases in Marcia's moratorium identity status. The finding may hold implications for clinical or counseling interventions. (Author) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document