ego identity

1. in psychoanalytic theory, the experience of the self as a recognizable, persistent entity resulting from the integration of one’s unique ego-ideal, life roles, and ways of adjusting to reality.

2. the gradual acquisition of a sense of continuity, worth, and integration that Erik Erikson believed to be the essential process in personality development. See Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development. See also identity.

Browse dictionary by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Psychology term of the day

May 9th 2024

hierarchically nested design

any research design that involves several levels of sampling, such that the entities on the lower levels of the design are nested or subsumed within higher order groups. For example, a hierarchically nested design for an educational study might involve students (A), who are nested within classrooms (B), which are nested within schools (C), which are further nested within school districts (D). Several statistical procedures (e.g., analysis of variance, regression analysis, hierarchical linear models) also incorporate a hierarchical aspect. Also called hierarchical design; nested design.