The Barron Ego Strength Scale: a study of personality correlates among normals

Although the Barron Ego Strength Scale (BESS) often has been shown to differentiate between the presence or absence of psychopathology, the exact construct measured as Ego Strength is little understood. This study related the BESS to the 15 personality needs of the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule, the Tolerance Scale of the California Psychological Inventory, and the Practical Outlook Scale of the Omnibus Personality Inventory. Ss were 80 normal adult women, recruited individually from the community. Results showed significant correlations (p less than .05) only between Ego Strength and Abasement (-.44), Dominance (.19), Tolerance (.69), and Practical Outlook (-.32). This suggests that rather than distinguishing among specific personality profiles, the BESS relates to an underlying belief in self-adequacy, along with tolerant, balanced attidudes.