Individual, Family, and Community Education ETDs

Publication Date

5-7-1973

Abstract

The contribution of Erik H. Erikson's theory of adolescent identity crisis has had manifold implications in the area of group psychotherapy and has been the single most important contribution in this area. The implications for group psychotherapy revolve around the adolescent's need for confirmation of worth and value from peers and the establishment of interpersonal ego identity.

As a result of dramatic changes in the individual's body, there is an increasing awareness of genital sexuality. The adolescent becomes increasingly aware of his body image and ego identity. He becomes preoccupied with how he appears to others as compared to how he feels about himself. The important task during this stage is the re-establishment of ego identity from a total parental reference towards an integrated personal-social orientation. Adolescents, according to Erikson, can enhance their self-esteem only in the reciprocal atmosphere of a peer group culture.

The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of two approaches to group psychotherapy with adolescents in identity crisis. The study rested on the theoretical foundation of adolescent identity crisis developed by Erik H. Erikson. The sample consisted of 20 students chosen from the population at Freedom High School, Albuquerque, New Mexico. The sample included 10 males and 10 females who were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups (n = 5) and one control group (n = 10).

Treatment Group 1 received the investigator's adaptation to adolescent groups of Stephen Proskauer's "Focused Time-Limited Psychotherapy With Children." Treatment Group 2 received Arnold Rachman's "Group Psychotherapy in Treating The Adolescent Identity Crisis" as it was adapted by the investigator to a short-term modality. The Control group received no therapeutic experience during the experimental period. Both treatment groups met for a total of six therapy sessions and one test administration session. All subjects were administered the Tennessee Self Concept Scale and the California Psychological Inventory at the termination of the therapy sessions.

Two null hypotheses were stated proposing no significant differences among the three groups on the selected scales of the two instruments. The scales selected were as follows:

TSCS

a) Self Criticism

b) Total Self Care

c) Moral-Ethical Self

d) Personal Self

e) Family Self

f) Social Self

CPI

a) Sociability

b) Social Presence

c) Self-Acceptance

d) Communality

e) Socialization

f) Good Impression

g) Sense Of Well Being

h) Achievement via Conformance

i) Achievement via Independence

j) Psychological Mindedness

k) Femininity

ANOVA 1-Way design was applied to data on each variable and where asignificant F-Ratio was found, the Tukey T-Test of means was applied to all pair-wise comparisons.

Hypothesis 1, relating to the TSCS, was rejected on all variables except Personal Self. Hypothesis 2, relating to the CPI, was rejected on all variables.

The major conclusions were as follows:

1. Short term group therapy is effective in improving adolescent self concepts and general level of personality functioning

2. Proskauer’s approach can be successfully adapted to adolescent group psychotherapy

3. Rachman’s group approach with adolescence is effective in a time limited modalityis effective in a time-limited modality.

A principal factors factor analysis was performed on the Counseling form of the TSCS using 239 cases. Five factors with eigenvalues of 1.00 or greater were retained and rotated. Factor loadings of .40 or greater were retained for final analysis.

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

English

Degree Name

Counseling

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Individual, Family, and Community Education

First Committee Member (Chair)

Gordon A. Zick

Second Committee Member

Clifford Abe

Third Committee Member

Marion Jacob Heisey

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