2001 Volume 15 Issue 2 Pages 93-107
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the reference to the self, parents, friend, and favorite member of the opposite sex in late adolescence. The reference of self in relation to ego identity, and gender difference were examined. 631 college students completed the questionnaire for reference-object, and the ego identity status judgings cale. The results were as follows : (a) In almost all cases, the reference to the self was higher than to the others. (b) Gender difference was remarkable regarding the reference to parents. (c) Reference to the self in club activities tended to differ by the ego identity statuses. (d) In female subjects, reference to the self correlated to the dimension of past crises of the ego identity judging scale. I found that examining reference-object was an effective method in clarifying the development of interpersonal relationships in late adolescence.
