Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 27, 2026

Developing Neuroimaging Phenotypes of the Default Mode Network in PTSD: Integrating the Resting State, Working Memory, and Structural Connectivity
Published on: July 1, 2014
Combat-related trauma as measured by ego developmental indices of defenses and identity achievement
1Student Counseling Service Bar Ilan University, Israel.
Abstract:
The relation between combat-related trauma experience and male ego development and the impact of such trauma on subsequent employment, marital, and legal behavior were investigated empirically. Vietnam combat veterans (N = 52) diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) completed the Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ), the Ego Identity Scale (EIS), and the Impact of Event Scale (IES); 45 noncombat Vietnam-era veterans (not diagnosed with PTSD) completed the DSQ and the EIS. Combat veterans were found to use more maladaptive defenses and have lower levels of identity achievement. Failed marriages, employment problems, and the tendency to experience legal difficulties were more prevalent among the combat veterans. Data analyses showed that identity and defenses do indeed correlate, suggesting that these constitute a unified construct that can be subsumed under the rubric of ego development.
More Related Videos
09:55Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder
Published on: March 8, 2018
08:25Polar Histogram Visualization of Acute Stress Disorder Scale Scores for Comprehensive Clinical Assessment
Published on: December 6, 2024
Related Concept Videos
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Childhood
The first four of Erikson's eight psychosocial stages...
Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Adolescence
Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Symptoms and Behavioral Manifestations
A spectrum of distressing symptoms characterizes PTSD. Recurrent flashbacks, where individuals involuntarily relive traumatic events, are a...
Sources of Self-Esteem I: Family Experience