Dignan Ego Identity Scale

Abstract

The Dignan Ego Identity Scale (DEIS), developed by Sister Mary Howard Dignan in 1963, is a 50-item personality inventory designed to quantitatively assess key components of an individual’s ego identity. This instrument operationalizes aspects of identity resolution derived primarily from Erikson’s theories (1947, 1955). The scale evaluates specific facets of identity formation, including Sense of Self, Uniqueness, Self-Acceptance, Role Expectations, Stability, Goal-Directedness, and Interpersonal Relations.

Keywords

Dignan Ego Identity Scale, Ego Identity, Identity Crisis, Erikson’s theories, Role Confusion, Construct Validity, Content Validity, Internal Consistency, Test-Retest Reliability, Personality Inventory.

Authors

Sister Mary Howard Dignan

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Dignan Ego Identity Scale is to provide a standardized measurement of the success or failure in resolving the psychosocial conflict central to adolescence and young adulthood: the identity crisis versus role confusion. By assessing various dimensions of self-perception and relational stability, the scale seeks to categorize the individual’s progress toward achieving a consolidated sense of self.

This assessment is crucial for researchers and clinicians interested in understanding developmental milestones related to identity formation in young adults, particularly within the framework established by Erik Erikson.

Construct

The central psychological construct measured by the DEIS is Ego Identity. Rooted deeply in the work of Erik Erikson, this construct refers to the conscious sense of individual uniqueness, coupled with an unconscious striving for continuity of experience. The scale breaks down this complex construct into measurable subcomponents:

• Sense of Self and Uniqueness
• Self-Acceptance
• Role Expectations
• Stability and Coherence of Identity
• Goal-Directedness
• Quality of Interpersonal Relations

Validity

The validity of the Dignan Ego Identity Scale was established through both content and construct validation procedures during its development in the early 1960s.

• Content Validity: Initial item generation involved creating a large pool of 163 items based on theoretical discussions of ego identity. These items were rigorously evaluated and selected by expert judges to ensure they adequately represented the domain of the identity construct, resulting in the final 50-item scale.
• Construct Validity: Evidence for construct validity was demonstrated by correlating DEIS scores with self-ratings obtained from the Rating Scale for Identity Traits. Significant positive correlations were observed: coefficients were .34 for freshmen and .60 for sophomores. Both correlations were statistically significant at the .01 level, indicating that the DEIS measures the theoretical construct it purports to assess, particularly showing a stronger relationship among sophomore students.

Reliability

The DEIS demonstrates acceptable levels of reliability across both internal consistency and test-retest measures, particularly among college populations targeted during the original validation studies.

• Internal Consistency: The homogeneity of the 50 items was assessed using the odd-even correlation method. These coefficients were then corrected using the Spearman-Brown formula, yielding a reliability coefficient of .74 for the freshman sample and .64 for the sophomore sample.
• Test-Retest Reliability: Stability over time was measured using a one-week interval. The resulting test-retest coefficients were .72 for a sample of 83 freshmen and .78 for a sample of 96 sophomores, suggesting good temporal stability of the scores over the short term.

Factor Analysis

Details regarding formal factor analysis procedures (such as Exploratory or Confirmatory Factor Analysis) used to identify underlying dimensions or subscales within the 50 items were not explicitly indicated in the original documentation. The scale appears to operate primarily as a unitary measure of overall Ego Identity, divided conceptually into the subcomponents listed in the construct section, rather than empirically derived factors.

Instrument

Test Type: Rating Scale / Personality Inventory

Format: Paper-based; 50 items

Language Available: English (Original research location: United States)

Population Group: Humans; Specifically validated on College Freshmen and College Sophomores.

Age Group: Adolescence (13-17 years); Adulthood (18 years and older); Young Adulthood (18-29 years). Primary research sample focused on the older range of this spectrum.

Population Details: Age Range: 17-20 years. Location: United States college students.

Test Methodology: The scale consists of 50 self-report items requiring participants to rate or indicate agreement/disagreement concerning various aspects of their identity and self-perception.

Keywords

Psychosocial Development, Identity Formation, Self-Concept, College Students, Internal Consistency, Psychometrics, Rating Scale, Sister Mary Howard Dignan.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source data.

Affiliation Email addresses: Contact information for the original author is unavailable or proprietary.

Correspondence Address: Contact the publisher or institutional archive for current correspondence details.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Dignan Ego Identity Scale was first published in 1963. Information regarding current permission requirements, licensing fees, and scale availability must be obtained directly from the intellectual property holder or the institution that maintains the archive of Sister Mary Howard Dignan’s work.

The test items themselves are generally not available in the public domain. Researchers wishing to use the scale must contact the publisher or author for item details and usage rights.

Reference’s

• Dignan, S. M. H. (1963).

  Dignan Ego Identity Scale

  . United States.

• Erikson, E. H. (1947). Ego development and historical change.

  The Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 2

  , 359–396.

• Erikson, E. H. (1955). The problem of ego identity.

  Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 4

  , 56–121.

Items of the Dignan Ego Identity Scale

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Test Items Available: No (Contact the publisher or author for item details)