Attachment, ego–identity development and exploratory interest in university students

Abstract

We investigated the relationships between attachment security, ego–identity development and exploratory interest in 161 university students who completed categorical and dimensional scales of attachment style, an ego–identity development scale based on Erikson’s theory, and an exploratory interest scale. Factor analysis yielded three interpretable dimensions of exploratory interest: intellect, escape and activity. High ego development was associated with attachment security. Exploratory interest was weakly associated with attachment security, but more strongly associated with high ego–identity development. Further analyses revealed that ego–identity development predicts escape only for those with a negative model of self (i.e. preoccupied and fearful attachment styles), an ego–identity development predicts activity only for those with a positive model of self (i.e. secure and dismissing attachment styles).

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