scholarly journals A Conceptual Review of Identity Integration Across Adulthood

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Mitchell ◽  
Jonathan M Adler ◽  
Johanna Carlsson ◽  
Py Liv Eriksson ◽  
Moin Syed
Keyword(s):  
Identity Development ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Transitions ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Identity Integration ◽  
Major Life ◽  
Adult Lifespan

Though Erikson recognized identity development as a lifelong project, most research on identity has focused on adolescents and emerging adults. Less is known about how the identity formed in adolescence is maintained and adapted across the adult lifespan. The purpose of the present paper is to provide a conceptual review and elaboration of Erikson's (1968) theory focused on identity integration, a construct that is particularly relevant to adult identity development. Identity integration describes the process of bringing together various aspects of one's self into a coherent whole, and the sense of self-continuity and wholeness that emerges as a result of these processes. Informed by the identity and lifespan development literatures, we present a conceptual framework that describes how identity integration is maintained across the adult lifespan, and how it is re-established when changing life circumstances present threats to an individual's identity. These maintenance and re-establishment processes help to support adults' well-being and adaptation to major life transitions and stressful events. This conceptual framework is intended to facilitate research on identity integration in adulthood, a time of life that has been less often studied in the identity literature, but that can involve identity dynamics that are just as critical as those in adolescence.

Adaptation to Athletic Retirement and Perceptions About Aging: A Qualitative Study of Retired Olympic Athletes

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Michelle Pannor Silver
Keyword(s):  
Role Models ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Transitions ◽  
Major Life ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Olympic Athletes ◽  
Athletic Retirement ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Health And Well Being

Self-perceptions about aging have implications for health and well-being; however, less is known about how these perceptions influence adaptation to major life transitions. The goal of this study was to examine how high-performance athletes’ perceptions about aging influenced their adaptation to athletic retirement. In-depth interviews conducted with 24 retired Olympic athletes using thematic analysis yielded three key themes: (a) perceptions about aging influenced participants’ postretirement exercise habits, (b) perceptions about aging motivated participants to engage in civic activities, and (c) participants who lacked formative perceptions about aging associated their athletic retirement with their own lost sense of purpose. These findings provide evidence that perceptions about aging influence athletes’ adaptation to retirement by directing their subsequent engagement in postretirement activities. Furthermore, this research highlights theoretical implications for the literature regarding embodied processes, retirement transitions, role models, and adaptation to new physical states.

The Challenge of Being Both Local and Global: Bicultural Identity Integration among Indigenous Ladakhi Youth in Delhi

2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (7) ◽  
pp. 680-700
Author(s):  
Simon Ozer ◽  
Veronica Benet-Martínez ◽  
Seth J. Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cultural Orientation ◽  
Bicultural Identity ◽  
Identity Integration ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Bicultural Identity Integration ◽  
Cultural Globalization

Ladakhi emerging adults have been exposed to cultural globalization through interaction with tourists and media, as well as through prolonged stays at globalized university contexts in major Indian cities. This globalization process has been hypothesized as detrimental to psychological health, in part because it poses the challenge of integrating a local Ladakhi identity with a global Western cultural identity. In the present study, we examined how exposure to cultural globalization and bicultural identity integration (tendency to bring together one’s local and global identities) moderates the positive links of Ladakhi and Western cultural orientation with psychological well-being among Ladakhis studying in Delhi ( N = 196). We found that exposure to cultural globalization did not affect the positive association between cultural orientation and psychological well-being. Moreover, bicultural harmony and blendedness were associated with a weaker relationship between Ladakhi cultural orientation and psychological well-being and, additionally, a stronger association between Western cultural orientation and well-being. Our results highlight contemporary challenges related to being both local and global in a culturally globalized context.

Disability and the Transition to Adulthood in the United States

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony R. Bardo ◽  
Ashley Vowels
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Transition To Adulthood ◽  
Independent Living ◽  
Medical Model ◽  
The United States ◽  
Life Transitions ◽  
Major Life ◽  
Cumulative Inequality ◽  
The Life Course

This chapter provides a synthesis of the literature on the transition to adulthood among emerging adults with a disability in the United States. The life course paradigm was used to frame the discussion in the context of demographic trends and contemporary circumstances regarding major life transitions in the areas of education, employment, independent living, and sex, marriage, and parenthood. A critical assessment of the current state of the literature from a social versus medical model of disability in these central life domains provides a foundation from which sociologists can explore processes of cumulative inequality embedded in the relatively uncharted lives of transition-age youth with a disability.

scholarly journals Personality, Communication, and Depressive Symptoms across the Transition to Parenthood: A Dyadic Longitudinal Investigation

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma M. Marshall ◽  
Jeffry A. Simpson ◽  
W. Steven Rholes
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Transition To Parenthood ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Transitions ◽  
Major Life ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
First Child ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Major Life Transitions

This study adopted a person (actor) by partner perspective to examine how actor personality traits, partner personality traits, and specific actor by partner personality trait interactions predict actor's depressive symptoms across the first 2 years of the transition to parenthood. Data were collected from a large sample of new parents (both partners in each couple) 6 weeks before the birth of their first child, and then at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months postpartum. The results revealed that higher actor neuroticism and lower partner agreeableness predicted higher levels of depressive symptoms in actors. Moreover, the specific combination of high actor neuroticism and low partner agreeableness was a particularly problematic combination, which was intensified when prepartum dysfunctional problem–solving communication and aggression existed in the relationship. These results demonstrate the importance of considering certain actor by partner disposition pairings to better understand actors’ emotional well–being during major life transitions. Copyright © 2015 European Association of Personality Psychology

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

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.

scholarly journals Understanding Students’ Mental Well-Being Challenges on a University Campus: Interview Study (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sun Young Park ◽  
Nazanin Andalibi ◽  
Yikai Zou ◽  
Siddhant Ambulkar ◽  
Jina Huh-Yoo
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Transitional Period ◽  
Major Life Events ◽  
Major Life ◽  
Mental Well Being

BACKGROUND Research shows that emerging adults face numerous stressors as they transition from adolescence to adulthood. This paper investigates university students’ lived experiences of maintaining mental well-being during major life events and challenges associated with this transitional period. As we continue to design health technology to support students’ mental health needs, it is imperative to understand the fundamental needs and issues particular to this phase of their life to effectively engage and lower the barriers to seeking help. OBJECTIVE This study first aimed to understand how university students currently seek and receive support to maintain their mental well-being while going through frequent life events during this period of emerging adulthood. The study then aimed to provide design requirements for how social and technical systems should support the students’ mental well-being maintenance practice. METHODS Semistructured interviews with 19 students, including graduate and undergraduate students, were conducted at a large university in the Midwest in the United States. RESULTS This study’s findings identified three key needs: students (1) need to receive help that aligns with the perceived severity of the problem caused by a life event, (2) have to continuously rebuild relationships with support givers because of frequent life events, and (3) negotiate tensions between the need to disclose and the stigma associated with disclosure. The study also identified three key factors related to maintaining mental well-being: time, audience, and disclosure. CONCLUSIONS On the basis of this study’s empirical findings, we discuss how and when help should be delivered through technology to better address university students’ needs for maintaining their mental well-being, and we argue for reconceptualizing seeking and receiving help as a colearning process.

scholarly journals Understanding Students’ Mental Well-Being Challenges on a University Campus: Interview Study

10.2196/15962 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. e15962 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sun Young Park ◽  
Nazanin Andalibi ◽  
Yikai Zou ◽  
Siddhant Ambulkar ◽  
Jina Huh-Yoo
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Transitional Period ◽  
Major Life Events ◽  
Major Life ◽  
Mental Well Being

Background Research shows that emerging adults face numerous stressors as they transition from adolescence to adulthood. This paper investigates university students’ lived experiences of maintaining mental well-being during major life events and challenges associated with this transitional period. As we continue to design health technology to support students’ mental health needs, it is imperative to understand the fundamental needs and issues particular to this phase of their life to effectively engage and lower the barriers to seeking help. Objective This study first aimed to understand how university students currently seek and receive support to maintain their mental well-being while going through frequent life events during this period of emerging adulthood. The study then aimed to provide design requirements for how social and technical systems should support the students’ mental well-being maintenance practice. Methods Semistructured interviews with 19 students, including graduate and undergraduate students, were conducted at a large university in the Midwest in the United States. Results This study’s findings identified three key needs: students (1) need to receive help that aligns with the perceived severity of the problem caused by a life event, (2) have to continuously rebuild relationships with support givers because of frequent life events, and (3) negotiate tensions between the need to disclose and the stigma associated with disclosure. The study also identified three key factors related to maintaining mental well-being: time, audience, and disclosure. Conclusions On the basis of this study’s empirical findings, we discuss how and when help should be delivered through technology to better address university students’ needs for maintaining their mental well-being, and we argue for reconceptualizing seeking and receiving help as a colearning process.

scholarly journals The relation of parental support of emerging adults’ goals to well-being over time: The mediating roles of goal progress and autonomy need satisfaction.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Koestner ◽  
Theodore A. Powers ◽  
Anne Catherine Holding ◽  
Nora Hope ◽  
Marina Milyavskaya
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Family Environment ◽  
Parental Support ◽  
Longitudinal Design ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Need Satisfaction ◽  
Personal Goals ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal

Two studies examined parental support of young adults’ personal goals. Study 1 examined 1189 personal goals reported by 238 young adults and showed that it was common for emerging adults to receive support from their parents as they pursued their personal goals, particularly important and demanding goals. Relying on parents was unrelated to the Big 5 traits, but was linked with developmental factors – younger age, autonomy supportive family environment, and higher identity development but less intimacy development. Study 2 used a prospective, longitudinal design (n = 932) to show that goal support from parents was significantly associated with better well-being across the school year, as long as the support was delivered in an autonomy supportive fashion (e.g., empathic and encouraging volitional functioning). Goal support from peers was unrelated to well-being. Mediational analyses showed that parental autonomy support indirectly influenced young adults’ subjective well-being over the year by enhancing their progress on personal goals and boosting their sense of personal autonomy in their everyday lives. These studies highlight that the psychological impacts of goal support depend on both the source and type of support that is received

scholarly journals I Will Not Stand in My Way

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Lausch
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Science Identity ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Self Authorship

Background: The impostor phenomenon (IP) describes a condition in which one has a feeling of intellectual phoniness, leaving one to doubt their ability to succeed. Research states that in particular, female STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) college students in male-dominated programs, such as engineering and computer science, are affected by such feelings. IP has shown consequences for female students' retention, feeling of belonging, and success, which contribute to STEM gender inequities. Recently it has been stated that strengthening the student's sense of self individually through mindfulness might be another avenue of support. Purpose: Using self-authorship theory, and with that taking into account science identity development, the purpose is to explore and interpret the effects of mindfulness on female STEM graduate students' experience with IP in computer science and engineering and their advancement on the self-authorship trajectory. Methods: Ten graduate and doctoral students participated in this exploratory, mixed-methods study, by completing an eight-week, self-led mindfulness program. The participants completed three semi-structured interviews, and weekly journals entries, including drawings. Four surveys were administered pre- and post-intervention. Results: A Mindfulness Foundation was developed that supported the participants in internalizing mechanisms to deal with IP. Mindfulness also strengthened the participants' sense of self-authorship and a correlation of mindfulness, IP and self-authorship was identified. Conclusion: The study emphasizes the importance of incorporating mindfulness into STEM graduate education due to its multifaceted impacts. Further underlined is the importance of giving female STEM graduate students the opportunity to uncover their impostor feelings, explore their science identity, and grow self-authorship for professional success and well-being.

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