Identity Development during Student Exchange: A Longitudinal Multilevel Analysis of Identity Processes in Emerging Adults

The current study contributes to the ongoing discussion about validity and utility of global and domain-specific assessment of identity processes in emerging adulthood (EA) by using a three-dimensional model of identity development and examining four identity domains (best friend, education, occupation, and partner). The links between global and domain-specific identity processes and main features of EA are analyzed in the Eastern European context, which is largely underrepresented in studies on identity development. Participants were 1,217 (49.9% females) emerging adults aged between 20 and 31 years ( Mage = 25.89, SDage = 3.51). This study showed that global identity processes only partly explain domain-specific ones and that domain-specific processes have unique links with features of EA. Taken together, this study shows that consideration of different life domains to measure identity processes is essential, since identity development in friendship, partnership education, and work domains can have different associations with outcomes of interest.

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Identity Processes in Ladakhi Emerging Adults: Testing the Dimensions of Identity Development Scale in an Indigenous Himalayan Population

Emerging Adulthood ◽

10.1177/2167696818754919 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 45-51 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Simon Ozer ◽

Alan Meca ◽

Seth J. Schwartz

Keyword(s):

Identity Development ◽

Emerging Adults ◽

Indigenous Population ◽

Theoretical Foundation ◽

Identity Work ◽

Sociocultural Context ◽

Identity Exploration ◽

Identity Processes ◽

Identity Model ◽

The Individual

Identity research has flourished in recent years based on the theoretical foundation proposed by Erikson. Identity development is generally conceptualized as a process occurring through an interplay between the individual and her or his social context. Consequently, one of the challenges facing identity research is to become more culturally sensitive—that is, to examine whether models and theories of identity work as expected in various cultural contexts. Luyckx et al.’s (2008) identity model proposes five identity exploration and commitment processes, and a survey instrument was developed to assess these processes. The current study tests this Dimensions of Identity Development Scale (DIDS) in an indigenous population of emerging adults from Ladakh. Results confirm the central dimensions of identity exploration and commitment. However, the original DIDS structure was not identically replicated in this population, suggesting that identity models should be developed or adapted to the specific sociocultural context.

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The Role of Financial Identity Processes in Financial Behaviors and Financial Well-Being

Emerging Adulthood ◽

10.1177/21676968211016142 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 216769682110161

Author(s):

Rimantas Vosylis ◽

Angela Sorgente ◽

Margherita Lanz

Keyword(s):

Identity Development ◽

Emerging Adulthood ◽

Identity Formation ◽

Emerging Adults ◽

Factor Model ◽

Well Being ◽

Financial Behaviors ◽

Identity Processes ◽

Study Results ◽

Financial Identity

Financial identity formed during emerging adulthood is important for the regulation of youth financial behaviors, decisions, and long-term financial goals. This three-wave short-term longitudinal study investigates how youth develop a distinct manner of approaching and managing personal finances and reveals the structure and dynamics of financial identity development during emerging adulthood. Using the cross-lagged panel model analysis, it also investigates longitudinal reciprocal associations between financial identity processes, financial behaviors, and financial well-being of emerging adults. The sample consists of 533 Lithuanian higher education students (56.8% women; M age = 18.93, SD age = 0.71) who took part in three assessment waves. The findings support the use of the three-factor model of financial identity formation and show that financial identity formation is shaped by emerging adults’ financial situation and contribute to the formation of financial behaviors and financial well-being. Practical implications of study results are also discussed.

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Identity Development in the Domains of Future Plans/Goals and Values in Georgian Emerging Adults and Their Association With Adult and Societal Identity Resolution

Emerging Adulthood ◽

10.1177/2167696819890467 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (5) ◽

pp. 397-403 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nino Skhirtladze ◽

Nino Javakhishvili ◽

Seth J. Schwartz ◽

Koen Luyckx

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Identity Development ◽

Emerging Adults ◽

Cultural Context ◽

Cycle Model ◽

Identity Exploration ◽

Identity Resolution ◽

Identity Processes ◽

Dual Cycle ◽

Future Plans

Identity development unfolds in different domains within a given cultural context. In the present study, we examined the relations among identity processes in future plans and goals and values domains, based on the dual-cycle model of identity development, and their association with adult and societal identity resolution. The sample for our study consisted of 288 Georgian young adults (39% male). Participants completed measures of identity exploration and commitment processes in the future plans/goals and values domains as well as measures of adult and societal identity resolution. Results based on between-domain correlations and mean-level differences indicated that identity processes in future plans/goals and value domains unfold differently in Georgian emerging adults. Associations of two domain identity processes with adult and societal identity resolution also revealed some differences. We attempt to explain these differences by referring to cultural context and age.

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The Struggle to Find Meaning: A Mixed Methodology Study on Meaning-Making and Identity

Emerging Adulthood ◽

10.1177/2167696819841760 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (5) ◽

pp. 367-372 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Bogdan Glavan ◽

Oana Negru-Subtirica ◽

Oana Benga

Keyword(s):

Identity Development ◽

University Students ◽

Emerging Adults ◽

Life Story ◽

Meaning Making ◽

Mixed Methodology ◽

Stressful Situation ◽

Important Goal ◽

Identity Processes ◽

Complex Forms

Recent reviews underscored the need for a better link between different identity models in order to enhance our knowledge of identity development. In the present study, we used a mixed methodology design to investigate how the integration of process-oriented and narrative life-story approaches can be used to better understand the complexity of identity pursuits. Participants were 84 Romanian emerging adults ( M age = 23.24 years; SD age = 2.11 years, 72.6% female, 71.4% university students). Results showed significant differences in identity processes among emerging adults based on their levels of meaning-making. More specifically, in a stressful situation of disengaging from a personal important goal, emerging adults who derived more complex forms of meaning-making reported higher levels of ruminative exploration and lower levels of commitment making. By integrating these approaches of identity, the study nuances how meaning-making might be related to identity processes.

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Bringing Identity Content to the Fore: Links to Identity Development Processes

10.31234/osf.io/7jtxv ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Kate C. McLean ◽

Moin Syed ◽

Hannah Shucard

Keyword(s):

Identity Development ◽

Emerging Adults ◽

Meaning Making ◽

Identity Exploration ◽

Family Identity ◽

Family Romance ◽

Identity Processes ◽

College Going ◽

Content Domain ◽

Development Processes

In the present study we examined the role of identity content in relation to identity processes in a sample of college-going emerging adults (n = 255). Participants reported eight narratives each (n = 2040 narratives) in response to prompts for specific identity content domains (occupation, values, politics, religion, family, romance, friends, sex roles), and completed survey measures of identity exploration and commitment. Narratives were coded for content and meaning-making. In general, participants reported the content requested, but were less likely to do so in certain domains (e.g., religion) than others (e.g., family). Identity processes varied by content domain, suggesting that identity contents may require different forms of processing. Results reveal the importance of examining identity content for a fuller understanding of identity development.

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Identity in Emerging Adulthood

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199795574.013.001 ◽

2014 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Seth J. Schwartz ◽

Byron L. Zamboanga ◽

Koen Luyckx ◽

Alan Meca ◽

Rachel Ritchie

Keyword(s):

Identity Development ◽

Emerging Adults ◽

Iterative Process ◽

Narrative Identity ◽

Identity Status ◽

Cognitive Variables ◽

Identity Style ◽

Identity Processes ◽

Mental And Physical Health ◽

Status Theory

This chapter presents a review of identity status-based theory and research with adolescents and emerging adults, with some coverage of related approaches such as narrative identity and identity style. In the first section, the authors review Erikson’s theory of identity and early identity status research examining differences in personality and cognitive variables across statuses. They then review two contemporary identity models that extend identity status theory and explicitly frame identity development as a dynamic and iterative process. The authors also review work that has focused on specific domains of identity. The second section of the chapter discusses mental and physical health correlates of identity processes and statuses. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future identity research with adolescent and emerging-adult populations.

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How Individual Coping, Mental Health, and Parental Behavior Are Related to Identity Development in Emerging Adults in Seven Countries

Emerging Adulthood ◽

10.1177/2167696819863504 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (5) ◽

pp. 344-360

Author(s):

Inge Seiffge-Krenke ◽

Katharina Weitkamp

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Identity Development ◽

Emerging Adults ◽

Parental Behavior ◽

Contributing Factors ◽

High Identity ◽

Identity Diffusion ◽

Identity Processes ◽

Changing Times ◽

Anxious Rearing

So far, there is a dearth of research comparing identity processes across cultures and its contributing factors. In this study, the association of individual and family factors with identity processes was analyzed in 2,113 emerging adults ( M = 22.0 years; 66% female) from France, Germany, Greece, Peru, Pakistan, Poland, and Turkey. Exploration and commitment levels were highest in non-Western countries like Peru, Turkey, and Pakistan, whereas emerging adults in France scored lowest in exploration and commitment and reported highest levels in identity distress, internalizing/externalizing symptoms, and identity diffusion. Identity distress, coping with identity distress, parental behavior, and mental health were regressed on identity processes (exploration breadth/depth, commitment, and ruminative exploration). Distinctive patterns emerged; high identity distress, high identity diffusion, and high maternal anxious rearing in all countries were related to ruminative exploration. Findings were interpreted with a focus on universal and distinctive pathways in different countries in changing times.

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Linking Self and Society: Identity and the Immigrant Experience in Two Macro-Contexts

10.31234/osf.io/tq6cz ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Ylva Svensson ◽

Moin Syed

Keyword(s):

Identity Development ◽

Social Groups ◽

Narrative Approach ◽

2Nd Generation ◽

Identity Processes ◽

Societal Norms ◽

Group Belonging ◽

Immigrant Experience ◽

Societal Expectations ◽

The U.S

The purpose of this study was to compare identity processes associated with the immigrant experience in two macro-contexts, the U.S and Sweden. Using a qualitative narrative approach, we explored how immigrant and non-immigrant youth negotiate their identities in the intersection between individual selves and society, by studying how they experience deviations from societal expectations and whether such deviations were associated with alternative group belonging. The sample consisted of 59 narratives written by 1st and 2nd generation immigrants and non-immigrants (age 16-25). Results indicated that the U.S. participants were more likely to define themselves using racial and multi-ethnic categories, whereas Swedish participants relied on national labels. Additionally, U.S. participants showed clear evidence of deviations from societal norms, but also found belonging in social groups from those deviations. Swedish participants showed some deviations, but little evidence of group belonging. The findings highlight the contextual nature of identity development within an immigrant context.

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Master Narrative Identity Development in Cultural Context: The Role of Deviating from Master Narratives.

10.31234/osf.io/afz6b ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Kate C. McLean ◽

Jennifer Lilgendahl ◽

Chelsea Fordham ◽

Elizabeth Alpert ◽

Kathryn Szymanowski ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Identity Development ◽

Cultural Context ◽

Personality Development ◽

Great Majority ◽

Master Narrative ◽

Master Narratives ◽

Identity Processes ◽

Shared Stories ◽

Group Experiences ◽

Relative Neglect

Objective: The great majority of research on identity and personality development has focused on individual processes of development, to the relative neglect of the cultural context of development. We employ a recently articulated framework for the examination of identity development in context, centered on the construct of master narratives, or culturally shared stories. Method: Across three studies we asked emerging and mid-life adults (n = 512) to narrate personal experiences of deviations from these master narratives. Results: Across three quantitative studies we show that 1) those who elaborated their deviation experiences were more likely to be in structurally marginalized positions in society (e.g., ethnic or sexual minorities); 2) those who elaborated an empowering alternative to the master narrative were more likely to be engaged in identity processes; and 3) master narratives maintain their rigidity by the frequency of their use. In qualitative analyses, we illustrate the rigidity of master narratives, as well as the degree to which they take shape in social and group experiences. Conclusions: These studies emphasize the importance of cultural context in considering personality and identity development.

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