THE RELATION OF RE-CREATIVE EXPERIENCE TO EGO STAGE DEVELOPMENT. PAPER PRESENTED AT THE NATIONAL SEMINAR ON ADULT EDUCATION RESEARCH (CHICAGO, FEBRUARY 11-13, 1968).

THE RELATIONSHIP OF EGO-STAGE DEVELOPMENT (BASED UPON THE THEORIES OF ERIK ERICKSON) TO THE EXPERIENCES ADULTS IDENTIFIED AS LEADING TO RE-CREATION WAS EXPLORED, USING DATA OBTAINED FROM 73 WOMEN SELECTED AT RANDOM FOR A POPULATION OF 582 AMERICAN AND CANADIAN WOMEN GRADUATE STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN IN FALL, 1964. INFORMATION REGARDING RE-CREATIVE EXPERIENCES WAS OBTAINED FROM A SELF-REPORT DIARY SHEET WHICH REPRESENTED REFLECTION OF EGO STAGE CONCERNS--ENJOYMENT WITHIN THE EXPERIENCE AND INTENSITY OF RE-CREATION. PARTICIPANTS OBSERVED THEIR RE-CREATIVE BEHAVIOR ON TEN RANDOMLY SELECTED DAYS IN THE INTERVENING PERIOD. IT WAS FOUND THAT, FOR THE MOST PART, EGO STAGE DEVELOPMENT WAS NOT REFLECTED IN RE-CREATIVE EXPERIENCES. HOWEVER, A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT ASSOCIATION BETWEEN EGO STAGE DEVELOPMENT AND RE-CREATIVE EXPERIENCE WAS FOUND AMONG PSYCHOLOGICALLY MATURE SUBJECTS WHEN THEY WERE IN A POSITIVE, ENTHUSIASTIC, CREATIVE MOOD BEFORE THE EXPERIENCE. UNDER THESE SAME CONDITIONS, INTENSITY OF RE-CREATION WAS MOST FREQUENTLY HIGH. IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT THE TENDENCY IS TO REGRESS TO A LOWER STAGE OF EGO DEVELOPMENT IN OBTAINING RE-CREATION. MATURITY AND POSITIVE DYNAMIC PRECONDITION ARE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS IN GAINING RE-CREATION IN EXPERIENCES OF PROGRESSIVE ADAPTATION. THIS PAPER WAS PRESENTED AT THE NATIONAL SEMINAR ON ADULT EDUCATION RESEARCH, CHICAGO, FEBRUARY 11-13, 1968. IT WILL BE PUBLISHED IN ADULT EDUCATION. (AJ)