The subjective state of adulthood in the discourse of ego-states

The article, from the standpoint of the subjective approach, analyzes the interaction of the subjective state of the adulthood with ego-states of “adult, parent, child”. Adulthood is considered as a subjective state of adulthood. The author uses the concept of «index of subjective state of adulthood», diagnosed with the help of the author's methodology, and reveals the presence of subjective state of adulthood in chronologically adult respondents, regardless of their dominant ego-state. The article identifies the nuclear subjective features that support the state of adulthood with the predominance of any of the three ego-states: general background of the mood, positive self-evaluation and of own actions, correlation of the stated and achieved goals, interest in life, the intrinsic value. The author also identifies the subjective characteristics and types of maturity (effective, anxious, defensive) according to the criteria of the dominant ego- state. The type of effective adulthood, besides the general features, is distinguished for the consistency in achieving the goals, activity, integrity, and internality, internality in the field of achievements and unsuccessful internality in family relations. The ego-state “Adult” itself is separated from the subjective state of adulthood, it is included in another factor. The author suggests that this is the fact of autonomous functioning of ego, which is able to join its different subjective states. The type of anxious adulthood, associated with the dominance of the ego- state of the Parent, along with the general features is marked with positive attitude to oneself, orientation to the external evaluation, vulnerability associated with problematic attitude towards protection connected with autonomy; all three ego-states are mixed in one factor. This is subjective adulthood, which has to break through the parental care. The type of defensive adulthood, with the dominance of the ego-state of the Child, along with typical features, includes mediation, subjective evaluation of the maturity, internality in professional and interpersonal relations, high general tension of protection, contamination of all three ego- states. Adulthood, marked with positive features of the subject: creativity, positive attitude, necessity to fight the way through a battery of psychological protections, non-differentiative ego-position.