The Effects of Social Perspective-Taking Training and Ideological Perspective-Taking Training on Ego-Identity Formation in Late Adolescence

• Main Author: Adams, Carol Markstrom
• Format: Others
• Published: DigitalCommons@USU 1988
• Subjects: social; ideological; perspective training; ego; late adolescence; Psychology
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/5973; https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7034&context=etd

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of two forms of perspective-taking training on interpersonal and ideological identities of 18- to 21-year-old college students. The primary predictions of the study were that social perspective-taking training would have its greater effect on interpersonal identity and that ideological perspective-taking training would have its greater effect on ideological identity. Ninety-six subjects were pretested for the study. Subject loss occurred due to attrition and the elimination of subjects who scored above set criterion for inclusion in the study. A total of 50 participants who were assigned to one of two treatment groups or to the control group completed the study. Both experimental and control subjects were engaged for two one-hour sessions per week for four weeks. Subjects completed posttesting the week following the last week of training. Nonparametric tests and repeated measures analysis of variance were computed for the pretest and posttest scores. Advances in ideological identity were observed for both the social and ideological perspectivetaking groups. Neither training was effective in promoting interpersonal identity. There was some evidence that formal operational skills also were advanced from social perspective-taking training. The validity and reliability of the measures used were discussed in conjunction with discussion of the findings. Implications for future research and clinical applications were presented.