title: The function of wisdom dimensions in ego-identity development among Chinese university students.
abstract: This study investigates the relationship between wisdom and ego-identity among university students in China. Using Marcia's ego-identity statuses and Ardelt's wisdom dimensions as the theoretical and conceptual framework, the study investigates 356 university students in China. After exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, four factors from wisdom and five factors from ego-identity were retrieved. A structural equation model was then conducted to analyse the relationships. The findings were: (1) among wisdom dimensions, cognitive, and reflective wisdom, especially perspective-taking best predicted achievement, (2) all three dimensions of wisdom predicted moratorium, but reflective wisdom was the most pronounced predictor, (3) all three dimensions of wisdom predicted diffusion, but resentment items from reflective wisdom were the most pronounced predictors, and (4) gender was a significant predictor of ego-identity achievement and diffusion. These findings suggest that efforts to build reflective wisdom might contribute to healthier ego-identity formation.
authors.affiliation: School of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Policy, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Hyeyoung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bang
authors.forename: Yuchun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000367:Age Factors; D002016:Buddhism; D002681:China; D003071:Cognition; D032903:Confucianism; D004532:Ego; D004645:Empathy; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010553:Personality Development; D012494:Sampling Studies; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Chinese college students; Identity formation; Structural equation modeling; Wisdom dimensions