Ego Development as Experiential Framework in Psychotherapy
Journal Title: Journal of Experiential Psychotherapy - Year 2018, Vol 21, Issue 4
Abstract
Introduction: This paper offers a summary of research on ego development and psychotherapy and ego development and psychopathology. While there has been a great deal written on Loevinger’s (1976) theory of ego development, very little of it focuses on the relation of ego identity and psychotherapy or ego development and psychopathology. The research that has been done is not systemic and covers a wide range of areas. Objectives: The objectives of this paper are to review the available literature, seeking for patterns in both the relationship of ego development to psychotherapy and ego development to psychopathology. Secondly, we explore the relationship of a client’s level of ego development to their experience in therapy and their ability to benefit from therapy. Methods: The paper reviews Swensen’s two-transition model of ego development for psychotherapy and illustrates how this may work, in two case summaries. The first case summary is of a person who transitioned from a pre-conventional stage to a conventional stage. The second case summary is of a person who transitioned from a conventional to post-conventional stage. Results: While the two-transition model of ego development in psychotherapy is a start, our results suggest that we need a more systematic approach to researching the relationship of ego development to psychotherapy as well as psychopathology. Conclusions: Our conclusions suggest future research projects and training in ego development for practicing therapists. While there is a great deal of promise in using ego development theory to increase the efficiency of psychotherapy interventions, there must be a more general, accessible training for therapists regarding how people at each stage see themselves and the world.
Authors and Affiliations
R. Elliott Ingersoll, Heather Keppen
Keywords
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