Graduate Counseling Students' Levels of Ego Development, Wellness, and Psychological Disturbance: An Exploratory Investigation

The authors report the findings of a descriptive, correlational study of 111 graduate counseling students' levels of ego development (L. X. Hy & J. Loevinger, 1996), wellness (J. E. Myers & T. J. Sweeney, 2005), and psychological disturbance (M. J. Lambert et al., 2004). Higher levels of ego maturity were associated with higher wellness scores. Implications for adult development and counseling are discussed. ********** Counseling and the organizational systems within which counselors work are often stressful, especially for new professionals (C. Chandler, Bodenhamer-Davis, Holden, Evenson, & Bratton, 2001; Young & Lambie, 2007). Prolonged periods of stress contribute to counselor burnout and impairment, leading to deterioration in the quality of counseling services (Lambie, 2007). Counselors who function at higher levels of ego development, however, are better equipped to cope with work-related stressors and use behaviors that are associated with successful client outcomes. Additionally, counselors at higher levels of ego development have been found to negotiate complex situations and perform counselor-related tasks with greater empathy, flexibility, personal and interpersonal awareness, interpersonal integrity, and self-care when compared with individuals who have lower levels of ego maturity (Bauer & McAdams, 2004; Lambie, 2007; Manners & Durkin, 2002). Therefore, counselors with higher levels of ego development are better able to assimilate and then accommodate demanding experiences, resulting in more effective service delivery and feelings of personal accomplishment (King, Scollon, Ramsey, & Williams, 2000; Lambie, 2007). As Sheaffer, Sias, Toriello, and Cubero (2008) noted, "as social-cognitive growth occurs, individuals are better able to be responsive to the clients they serve" (p. 148). For the purposes of this article, the terms social-cognitive development/maturity and ego development/maturity are used interchangeably. Professional counseling organizations such as the American Counseling Association (ACA; 2005) and researchers have identified the importance of supporting the social-cognitive development (Choate & Granello, 2006; Lambie, 2007) and wellness (Hill, 2004; Roach & Young, 2007; Smith, Robinson, & Young, 2007) of graduate counseling students. The profession of counseling is grounded on a historical, theoretical foundation that is focused on human development and wellness (Lawson, Venart, Hazler, & Kottler, 2007). According to Bauer and McAdams (2004), theories of development typically describe a movement toward "one of two desired outcomes: social-cognitive maturity or social-emotional well-being" (p. 114). Yet, in spite of the counseling professions emphasis on development and wellness, the relationship between ego development and wellness (and the inverse relationship of wellness and psychological disturbance) has not been investigated in counseling professionals. EGO DEVELOPMENT Ego development (Loevinger, 1976) draws from other stage theories of human development (e.g., Kohlberg, 1981; Piaget, 1932/1965). In Loevinger's developmental theory, the ego is a holistic and comprehensive personality construct, which incorporates cognitive, moral, self, interpersonal, and character development (Lambie, 2007; Manners & Durkin, 2002). Stackert and Bursik (2006) "defined the ego as a lens through which individuals perceive their worlds" (p. 358). Noam, Young, and Jilnina (2006) noted that the ego is the scheme for which individuals make meaning of their experiences and emotions (p. 751). The ego develops toward progressively more complex levels of meaning making, impulse control, interpersonal relations, mastery, and integration (Cohn & Westenberg, 2004). Regarding counseling, Bauer and McAdams (2004) suggested that the "levels of ego development mark important distinctions in the ways, and degrees of complexity with which individuals understand the self, others, and social situations" (p. …