Alienation and ego identity in adolescents

This study discusses alienation among youth in present day society and investigates the relationship between ego identity and alienation in adolescents. The subjects were 147 students from five high schools in southwestern Virginia. Each subject was administered the Adolescent Alienation Scale (Mackey, 1974) and Ego Identity Scale (Rasmussen, 1961). The data supported the hypothesis that as scores on the Ego Identity Scale increase, there tends to be a moderate decrease in alienation. The results imply that young people who have successfully resolved the Eriksonian crises and conflicts will feel a sense of mastery over their environments and control of their destiny. Seeming, all "significant others" share a responsibility in forming the social personality which determines the commitment youth will eventually make to society.