ABSTRACT
This chapter is an empirical and theoretical exploration of changes in girls’ relationships and in ego development during adolescence using two different approaches: Loevinger’s ego development theory and a voice-centered understanding of women’s psychological development grounded in the work of Carol Gilligan and members of the Harvard Project on Women’s Psychology and Girls’ Development. Drawing on the strengths of the distinct methods from each of these two approaches, I articulate and illustrate an integrative methodology for understanding changes in the relational development of adolescent girls that, in turn, affect ego development, using data from a longitudinal project presented in three studies.
