Emerging Adults and Work

Author(s):  
Julia Dietrich ◽  
Katariina Salmela-Aro

The transition from education to work is a key developmental task of emerging adulthood. In this chapter, the authors approach this transition from an engagement perspective, presenting a model of phase-adequate engagement that links career development, developmental regulation, and identity development theories in the context of the education-to-work transition. Taking a phase-adequate engagement perspective, they then review the literature on emerging adults’ transition from education to work and the role of interpersonal contexts. The authors conclude with suggestions for future research, emphasizing that a holistic view is needed in the study of emerging adults’ engagement, one taking more into account the structural, institutional, and cultural contexts that emerging adults are exposed to when transitioning from education to work.

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 311-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elina Marttinen ◽  
Julia Dietrich ◽  
Katariina Salmela-Aro

Abstract. During the transition to adulthood, young people need to choose their career and overall life pathway and cope successfully with the transitions they face. The theories of personal identity development ( Luyckx, Goossens, Soenens, & Beyers, 2006 ; Luyckx et al., 2008 ), career development ( Savickas, 2005 ), and goal developmental regulation ( Nurmi, 2004 ; Salmela-Aro, 2009 ) address the question of how people commit and engage in the changes faced during the transition from adolescence to adulthood, and particularly how they deal with educational and occupational transitions. We reviewed how each of these theories discusses both adaptive and maladaptive processes during the transition to adulthood, including such themes as the feeling of competent, exploring choices, crystallizing and making decision, forming certainty, managing transition, changing direction and rumination. We propose that these theories are in fact presenting different perspectives on the same developmental process of intentional engagement. Finally, suggestions for future research and intervention outcomes are discussed.


2021 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2110500
Author(s):  
Ashley B. Taylor ◽  
Tricia K. Neppl

The present study provides critical contributions to the study of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning (LGBTQ) emerging adults by examining the role of family and sexuality specific family support, as well as the moderating effect of gender, on sexual identity development. Specifically, the role of mother and father rejection and sexuality specific family support on both affirmed identity and identity struggles of students were assessed. Using a sample of 338 LGBTQ emerging adults at a midwestern University, findings illustrate that for sexual identity development, mother and father parental rejection positively influenced identity struggles while sexuality specific family support positively influenced affirmed identity. Also, moderation by participant gender was not supported. Limitations and future directions are discussed.


Author(s):  
Erika Melonashi

The present chapter aims to explore the relationship between social media and identity by reviewing theoretical frameworks as well as empirical studies on the topic. Considering the complexity of the concept of identity, a multidisciplinary theoretical approach is provided, including Psychological Theories, Sociological Theories and Communication Theories. These theories are revisited in the context of online identity formation and communication through social media. Different aspects of identity such as gender identity, professional identity, political identity etc., are discussed and illustrated through empirical studies in the field. Moreover, the role of social media as a factor that might either promote or hinder identity development is also discussed (e.g., phenomena such as cyber-bulling and internet addiction). Finally recommendations and suggestions for future research are provided, including the need for multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks to the investigation of the relationships between social media and identity.


2021 ◽  
pp. 22-37
Author(s):  
Alan Meca ◽  
Kelsie Allison ◽  
Julie Rodil ◽  
Kenneth Ayers ◽  
Kyle Eichas

This chapter explores the social and emotional development of emerging adults and focuses on how it contributes to feelings of anxiety, inability to make decisions, uncertainty, and lack of belonging. It provides information on how identity impacts mental health, particularly during this developmental stage. Various theories are discussed, with information provided on the role of the social-cultural content. The Miami Adult Development Project serves as a case study of an identify-focused intervention with mental health outcomes. Guiding questions help readers better understand the role identity development plays in risk and resilience during this “age of uncertainty.”


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 439-442
Author(s):  
Margherita Lanz ◽  
Joyce Serido

Current global economic instability has exacerbated the challenges of contemporary emerging adulthood and increased the urgency of examining financial instability as a life condition during this life stage. For this special issue, we assembled eight papers from different countries to examine how emerging adults are navigating financial instability. In the current introduction to the special issue, we identified the main themes that emerged from the collected studies: the role of family, emerging adults’ financial self-agency, financial disruptions and wellbeing, and the processes linking financial factors and positive development. Overall, these studies demonstrate that while the overall processes linking finances and development may be similar in different nations, the specificity of each context highlights the need to consider the important role of cultural norms and attitudes. We conclude this introduction, suggesting future research paths and implications for educators and practitioners that provide financial educators programs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 453-466
Author(s):  
Jos Akkermans ◽  
Ricardo Rodrigues ◽  
Stefan T. Mol ◽  
Scott E. Seibert ◽  
Svetlana N. Khapova

PurposeThis article aims to introduce the special issue entitled “the role of career shocks in contemporary career development,” synthesize key contributions and formulate a future research agenda.Design/methodology/approachThe authors provide an introduction of the current state-of-the-art in career shocks research, offer an overview of the key lessons learned from the special issue and present several important avenues for future research.FindingsThe authors discuss how the special issue articles contribute to a better understanding of career shocks' role in contemporary career development, focusing on (1) conceptual clarity of the notion of career shocks, (2) career outcomes of career shocks, (3) mechanisms that can explain the impact of career shocks and (4) interdisciplinary connectivity.Originality/valueThis article offers a synthesis of the critical contributions made within this special issue, thereby formulating key ways to bring the field of career shocks research forward. It also provides new avenues for research.


10.28945/4275 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 367-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilia Mantai

Aim/Purpose: This paper investigates the role of social support in the PhD. Despite universities’ efforts to provide a collegial PhD experience, candidates report isolation and loneliness in doctoral education – a factor contributing to attrition. Background: Previous research (Mantai & Dowling, 2015) defined social support in four categories: moral, emotional, guiding and mentoring, companionship, and collegiality. Social support is facilitated in various formal and informal groupings. Socialisation into scholarly communities promotes researcher identities through a sense of belonging. Developing a strong researcher identity through social connections benefits a student’s physical and emotional well-being, PhD progress, and investment in researcher careers. Methodology: This paper is based on thematic analysis of focus groups and one-on-one interviews with 64 PhD candidates from two Australian metropolitan universities. Contribution: Students’ perspectives on social support during PhD study are largely missing in the literature, as more importance is placed on academic support. This paper provides rich empirical evidence to show that support afforded by candidates’ personal, social, and professional relationships is critical in doctoral candidates’ identity development. Findings: First, investigating social support from the student perspective shows that it promotes students’ researcher identity development, sense of belonging, and community. Second, the paper extends our understanding of what social support means as it examines this concept in the context of student diversity. This paper confirms social support in the PhD extends beyond the institutional higher degree research environment and includes outside support by family, friends as well as online communities. Recommendations for Practitioners: Promote and improve support services, networking opportunities, and social connections within academia and beyond. Invest in understanding students’ diverse backgrounds and individual circumstances as well as goals. Recommendation for Researchers: Evaluate existing social support structures in place and identify social support needs of doctoral candidates at your particular institution. Impact on Society: Institutions, governments, and individuals heavily invest in PhD degrees financially and psychologically. This research aims to improve outcomes for society by developing skilled and confident graduates. Future Research: Future research ought to focus on the issues experienced by students of particular demographic backgrounds and on how to best support them.


Author(s):  
Daniel Lapsley ◽  
Sam A. Hardy

We argue in this chapter that moral development and identity formation are not disjunctive topics, and that morality and identity ramify in the personal formation of emerging adults in ways that have dispositional implications for how the rest of their lives go. Moral self-identity is crucial to living a life of purpose and for setting one’s life projects on a pathway that contributes to well-being, generativity, and integrity. We first review research on the role of moral purpose in personality development and the conditions that encourage it. We then review the major ways that self-identity has been conceptualized in terms of statuses, processes, and narratives, with particular emphasis on the achievement of identity maturity and its contribution to successful adaptation. We then discuss moral self-identity more directly and outline gaps in the literature and possible lines of future research.


2011 ◽  
pp. 2466-2480
Author(s):  
Bryant Paul ◽  
Lelia Samson

This chapter considers the potential role of the Internet in the process of adolescent sexual identity construction. It starts by providing evidence of the ever-increasing role the Internet is playing in the lives of adolescents and by considering the potential impact such a technology is likely to have given the transitional nature of the adolescent brain. A consideration of theoretical approaches for understanding the role the Internet is likely to play in individuals’ sexual self-identity development is then undertaken. A review of the specific role Internet communication technologies have come to play in the process of adolescent sexual socialization is then carried out. In doing so the authors argue that future research addressing the role of the Internet in the process of adolescent sexual socialization and identity development must consider both the specific structure of the adolescent brain and the unique nature of the Internet as a source of information and an opportunity for social networking.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enoch Leung

For lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth, identity development is one of the most critical developmental task. LGBTQ youth are shown to be at risk for a variety of risk factors including depression and suicidal ideation and attempts due to how their identities are appraised in heteronormative societies. However, most LGBTQ educational psychology research have highlighted protective factors that are primarily relevant to support LGBTQ white-youth. One of the major developmental theories, Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development, has identified adolescence as the period where identity development occurs. However, through an intersectional lens, identity development appears to encompass more than adolescence but also emerging adulthood, a developmental stage not accounted for by Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development. The primary goal of this study is to seek to understand and question Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development through an intersectional lens of an autoethnography of my LGBTQ experiences. An autoethnographic approach [diary entries (N = 9), conversations (N = 12), interview (N = 1), social media websites and blogs (N = 2), and drawing (N = 1)] is used to understand my LGBTQ-person of color (POC) experiences of “coming out” or self-disclosure during my adolescence through emerging adulthood. Data was collected on April 2020 and spanned from 2006 through 2020 to account for the developmental period of adolescence and emerging adulthood (ages 13 through 27). Thematic analysis revealed four themes across the two developmental periods: (1) confusion and conflict between my gay and ethnic identity as a closeted adolescent, (2) my first “coming out” as a gay adolescent and “it got better,” (3) frustration arising from the internal conflict between my gay and POC identity as an emerging adult, and (4) frustration arising from external experiences with the flaws of LGBTQ community inclusivity. Results reflected a continuous theme of identity exploration and struggle through both adolescence and emerging adulthood, highlighting the need for future research to replicate similar experiences from other intersectional individuals during emerging adulthood stage, a developmental stage that is considered in between Erikson’s adolescent and young adulthood developmental stage.


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