Developmental constructions of success

This study uses the concept of developmental constructions of success to examine: 1) the relationships among ego stages; 2) the social motives of affiliation, achievement, and power; 3) fear of success; and 4) the life patterns of women. The participants were 109 Radcliffe alumnae randomly chosen from alumnae who had graduated between 1955 and 1978, and who were living in the greater Boston area. For each alumna who agreed to participate in the study, a neighbor of approximately the same age was also invited to participate. Participants completed the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), the Washington University Sentence Completion Test (SCT), and a background questionnaire. The TATs were scored for the needs for achievement, affiliation, and power, and for fear of success. The SCT was used to measure Loevinger's levels of ego development. The background questionnaire was designed to study conceptions of success and other variables related to women's life patterns. A subsample also participated in a more detailed interview about their life patterns. The Murray Center has paper and computer-accessible data.