Validation of the 18-Item Ego Strength Scale (Es18) in a University Student Sample: Convergent, Discriminant, and Incremental Validity
Author(s): Don Daughtry, Cassandra Gonzales, William E. Kelly
Abstract: Ego strength reflects the capacity to regulate affect, maintain reality contact, and sustain coherent functioning under stress. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Ego Strength-18 (Es18), a brief version of Barron’s (1953) Ego Strength Scale. Undergraduate participants (N = 162) completed the Es18 and measures of depression, anxiety, schizotypy, self-fragmentation, ego boundaries, self-esteem, attachment security, and social desirability. The Es18 showed adequate internal consistency (α = .82) and predicted patterns consistent with theory: higher ego strength was associated with lower distress and fragmentation and higher self-esteem and secure attachment. The scale was unrelated to social desirability, supporting discriminant validity. Incremental validity analyses indicated that the Es18 was related to personality functioning outside of general distress. Findings support the Es18 as a relatively reliable, valid, and efficient measure of ego functioning useful for research on resilience, personality integration, and self-regulation.
Keywords: Ego strength; Psychodynamic constructs; Personality assessment; Self-regulation; Resilience; Convergent validity; Identity integration
Article: e18004
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