Religious identity among students at a private college: Social motives, ego stage, and development

Examined young-adult belief systems of religious ideology as influenced by ego stage and social motivation. 56 college students who considered religion as an important part of their lives described a personal religious identity crisis and 3 personal experiences that were significant in their own religious development. The Washington University Sentence Completion Test, scored for ego stage, and the Thematic Apperception Test, scored for intimacy and power motivation, were also administered. Ss scoring at higher levels of ego development tended to report identity crises in which a concerted questioning of fundamental religious beliefs had taken place whereas Ss at lower stages reported little questioning or no crises. Ss high in intimacy motivation described religious experiences laden with themes of love and friendship, and Ss high in power motivation described parallel experiences emphasizing strength and uplifting themes.