In this study, women's levels of ego development and their psychological difficulties
were examined in relation to feelings in the maternal role. The sample consisted of 91 mothers
from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Ego development was assessed by the Washington
University Sentence Completion Test, and psychological difficulties were operationalized by
self-reported global symptomatology, maternal substance abuse, and expressed anger. Outcome
variables included feelings of satisfaction, distress, and support in the maternal role, as well as the
degree to which negative and positive emotions were integrated in response to hypothetical
vignettes of challenging everyday child-rearing experiences. Hypotheses were that women at high
levels of ego development would show greater deterioration in the presence versus absence of
self-reported adjustment problems than would those at lower levels. A series of interaction effects
each indicated trends consistent with the hypotheses. These results add to accumulating evidence
that tendencies toward self-examination, characteristic of high developmental levels, do not
inevitably serve protective functions but may be linked with heightened reactivity to negative
intrapsychic forces.