More construct validation of the Ego-Strength scale

The ego-strength construct has a high frequency in the conversations and reports of clinical psychologists. Its origins in psychoanalytic theory have not deterred the toughminded from its use; indeed, it was in the camp of empiricism that a scale purporting to measure it was derived. Surprisingly, Barron's (1953) new scale did not lead to an avalanche of original research either using it or refuting it. Barron (1956) has continued to work with the scale, Wirt (1955) has done a further validation of the prognostic utility of the Ego-Strength (Es) scale, and Tamkin (1957) and Tamkin and Klett (1957) have concerned themselves with its construct validity (Cronbach & Meehl, 1955). Within the framework of construct validation, tests of a number of hypotheses about ego strength are reported in this paper. The Es scale was administered to a variety of samples: superior adults, psychiatric adults, emotionally disturbed adolescents, normal adolescents, and severe delinquents. The scale broadly discriminated between psychiatric and nonpsychiatric groups. Suggestions for other interpretations of what the Es scale may be doing were made, as were suggestions for its use in profile analysis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).