THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE RETURN TO HIGHER EDUCATION OF THE ADULT FEMALE LEARNER AND THE REWORKING OF IDENTITY (REENTRY WOMEN, IDENTITY FORMATION, ERIKSON THEORY, PSYCHOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT)

This research investigated the conjecture that re-entry women who had positively resolved the first four ego stages of Erikson's epigenetic theory, and were committed to the psychosocial changes the university attempts to bring about and had a supportive significant other, used the educational experience to rework identity.;Results indicated that knowing if a woman had positively resolved Erikson's first four ego stages would better predict whether or not she would want to rework identity. Only three of the twenty-six women, however, had positively resolved Erikson's first four ego stages. Post hoc analyses were conducted to determine if there was a relationship between the resolution of one or more of the ego stages and the desire to rework identity. Results indicated that knowing how a woman had resolved ego Stage II, Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt, better predicted if she wanted to rework identity. A future research study should focus on examining these two variables.;Post hoc analyses also indicated that there was a relationship between the negative resolution of Stage III, Initiative versus Guilt, and the reworking of identity. Future research should thus be done to examine the relationship between guilt and reworking of identity.;Results indicate that women re-enter higher education with many psychosocial problems. Thus, educators, administrators and other groups working with re-entry women should include in the design of their courses and programs ways to help women alleviate their psychosocial concerns. They can create ways to provide autonomy in the classroom as well as ways for women to deal with their guilt.;Twenty-six women enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Madison constituted the sample. Subjects were administered four research instruments: a Demographic Questionnaire, a Self-Description Questionnaire, a Project Q-Sort and a Taped Interview. The Demographic Questionnaire determined whether or not women had a supportive significant other. The Self-Description Questionnaire was administered to determine if women had positively resolved Erikson's first four ego stages. The Project Q-Sort determined whether or not women wanted to rework identity. The Taped Interview determined whether or not women were committed to the psychosocial changes the university attempts to bring about.