The state of research on ego identity: A review and appraisal

In the first part of this review (see Volume 7, Number 3 of this journal), a comprehensive survey of empirical research on ego identity was presented. Special emphasis was given to the large number of studies employing James Marcia's identity status paradigm. Research within this paradigm is recapitulated here by presenting empirical results which typify each of the four identity statuses (i.e., achievement, moratorium, foreclosure, and diffusion). A detailed evaluation of the identity status paradigm itself follows. Among the topics considered are (1) the construct and external validity of the approach as a whole, (2) the rationale and discriminant validity of the identity statuses, and (3) the reliability of the Identity Status Interview. Part II concludes by considering a number of problems for future research. Several persisting methodological and substantive issues within the identity status paradigm are noted. Finally, it is suggested that investigators turn their attention to the processes mediating identity formation. Contemporary psychoanalytic conceptions of adolescent development are viewed as providing one possible theoretical framework for investigating such processes.Support for this study comes from Research Training Grant No. 5T32MH14668-02 awarded to Dr. D. Offer by the National Institute of Mental Health.Postdoctoral Fellow in the Clinical Research Training Program in Adolescence jointly sponsored by the Institute for Psychosomatic and Psychiatric Research and Training of Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center and the Committee on Human Development of the University of Chicago. Research interests are adolescent ego development and epistemological/methodological issues in personality theory and measurement.     

The survival and tenure of Australian Attorneys-General

ABSTRACT

Policy outcomes in parliamentary systems can be affected by the characteristics of those appointed to executive positions. Research into the survival of ministerial appointments emphasise institutional factors, personal, and professional characteristics. There is, however, less attention paid to how the specific features of a portfolio affect ministerial survival. I address this gap by examining Australian Attorneys-General, to highlight how the duration of ministerial appointments depends on the features of the position. I find that a specific understanding of a portfolio can affect ministerial survival and that the survival of Australian Attorneys-General is shaped by the specifics of the portfolio.     

Transnational white-collar crime and risk

Research Summary Business transactions have increasingly been crossing national borders, thereby presenting greater opportunities for white-collar crime and for the externalization of risk. The global economic crisis, resulting in part from the subprime mortgage scandal, is a prime example of this potential. To develop theoretical perspectives and practical interventions to prevent and respond to the global financial crisis, we consider similar issues of risk and white-collar crime associated with global transactions in electronic waste (E-waste). Policy Implications Smart (or responsive) regulation is a promising approach for addressing both E-waste and the current economic crisis. This response includes crime prevention, third-party- and self-regulation, and the threat of strong state intervention. Future research should explore the extent to which smart regulation reduces specific forms of white-collar crime and risk, as well as whether these interventions generalize to other transnational problems.     

Protest: tradition and change

Analyses of political development in colonial Africa have largely concentrated on the role of the educated elite in the emergence of nationalist movements. In recent years some attempt has been made to fill out this one-dimensional view through the study of early and more broadly based protest movements in various colonial territories. This paper takes as its subject matter the records of riots which occurred on the Gold Coast between 1890 and 1920. These disturbances are taken as an index of non-elite protest while an analysis of case-studies indicates their significance for political developments leading to the emergence of nationalist parties.