The principal aim of the study was to determine whether, in the verbal interaction in a group of nine adults engaged in adult education, a systematic relationship could be shown between members' ego-stage profiles and their patterns of participation. Active ego-stage profiles were constructed of basic ego identity concerns using Erikson's conception of psychological development through the life span. The general hypothesis asserted that congruence or noncongruence between individual and group ego-stage profiles would be systematically reflected in behavior patterns categorized in terms of work and emotion. Patterns of verbal interaction were derived from categories of interaction data in the form of six emotions and four levels of work. Tape recordings of interaction in four sessions provided five samples of data; the utterances were then rated for work levels and emotionality. Twelve tests yielded measures of association which were rejected as statistically insignificant, but the feasibility of studying the impact of ego identity concerns on individual behavior was demonstrated. (author/ly)