Abstract
The present study used quantitative and qualitative analyses to investigate some differences in mental health relating to ego ideal (EI) type and superego (SE) type. In study 1,554 college students (mean age 19.7 years old) completed a questionnaire composed of 2 measures developed in the present study, the Ego Ideal-Superego Scale (EI-SES) and the Feelings of Wrongness Scale (FOW, measuring feelings of wrongness about oneself). The Ego Ideal-Superego Scale was composed of 2 factors: “intentionality” and “the tyranny of the should” (TS). The results confirmed the reliability of the scales.“Intentionality” was positively correlated with indicators of mental health, and “the tyranny of the should,” negatively. Those students with high intentionality and low scores on the tyranny of the should factor, that is, the ego ideal type, had higher indicators of mental health than did those with high intentionality and high scores on the tyranny of the should factor, that is, the superego type. In Study 2, semi-structured interviews with 16 of the students from Study 1 (7 men, 9 women) provided information about their type of intentionality and the tyranny of the should, and the status of their mental health in their daily lives. The results of Study 2 confirmed the validity of the Ego Ideal-Superego Scale. The present study indicated that the ego ideal type and superego type are both high on intentionality, but that the former type has better mental health than the latter.
