Loevinger's Theory of Ego Development and Its Relationship to the Cognitive–Developmental Approach

Even though Loevinger consistently places her work within the cognitivedevelopmental approach (e.g., Loevinger, 1987b), her theory of ego development does not fit neatly with the assumptions and methods of that tradition. In fact, her continuing interest in psychoanalysis, her use of the term ego, and her reliance on both psychoanalytic and cognitive concepts led some writers (e.g., Langer, 1969) to interpret her theory as one recent version of ego psychoanalysis.