ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I have two goals. The narrow aim is to present empirical findings regarding ego development and depressive symptomatology among adolescent girls; the broader aim is to consider the relationship between ego development and the variety of psychopathologies over the life span. It is interest in this broader goal that informs the empirical inquiries presented, and that leads me to generalize beyond them. The organization of this chapter follows from these goals: The presentation of empirical studies on ego development, pubertal development, and depression in adolescent girls is preceded by (a) a general consideration of the field of developmental psychopathology, which is the broad context for the research, (b) a brief overview of Loevinger’s views of ego development and psychopathology, and (c) the introduction of a model considering ego development in the context of predisposing, precipitating, perpetuating, and protective factors for the onset and avoidance of psychopathology. The empirical findings are followed by (d) a consideration of how the study of psychopathology might better be informed by attention to Loevinger’s model of ego development.
