THE PREDICTION OF EGO INTEGRITY IN OLDER PERSONS

This study examined the extent to which the resolution of die Eriksoni an final stage-related crisis of ego integrity versus despair is predi cted by the resolution of earlier stage-related crises and by non-Erik sonian personality constructs. Subjects were administered an Eriksonia n life stage measure called the Inventory of Psychosocial Balance, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Purpose-in-Life Scale, and the Self- Realization Scale. A series of alternative and hierarchically nested r egression models was run to assess the direct effects of all preceding Eriksonian life stages and the non-Eriksonian personality measures on the final stage of ego integrity. The results were consistent with Er iksonian theory, which states that personality development is a contin uous process in which psychosocial growth during earlier phases of lif e is a prerequisite for the resolution of later developmental conflict s.