GERMAN-AMERICAN 'ETHNICITY' AND 'EGO IDENTITY

The study analyzed relationships between German-American "ethnicity" and "ego identity." Propositions concerning the persistence of ethnicity across generations were tested with German-American subjects selected from the population of Troy, New York. The ideas for the study derive from the writings of Erikson, Femminella, Hanson, and Glazer and Moynihan.;The study objectives were to identify the ethnic ideological themes of German-Americans and to determine whether these differed significantly from the themes of non-German-Americans. Data was collected using the Florence Kluckhohn Value Orientation Schedule, which tested for value preferences, and the Timothy Leary Interpersonal Adjective Check List, which tested for self-descriptions, ego ideals, and perception of German-Americans.;The history of Troy's German ethnic group was described in order to provide a perspective on the data. It was revealed that Troy's 19th century German immigrants did not evolve a rich immigrant culture because they were a minority group dispersed throughout the wider population.;The data was analyzed for statistical significance. It was revealed that German-Americans and non-German-Americans held similar value preferences and ego ideals although they differed significantly in their perception of German-Americans. Most of the results were nonsignificant and, therefore, did not support the propositions. While the overall lack of significant differences between the groups suggested that German-American ethnicity had disappeared the significant finding that the groups held different perceptions of German-Americans implied that some aspects of ethnicity persisted.;Interviews conducted with the subjects revealed that German-Americans experienced intense discrimination during the World War eras and many downplayed their heritage to avoid further conflict. The study also explored why aspects of German ethnicity persisted by using the "impact-integration" theory of Francis X. Femminella. The most general reached was that American culture was an integration of Anglo-American and Germanic cultures.