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Examining the Light and Dark Sides of Emerging Adults’ Identity: A Study of Identity Status Differences in Positive and Negative Psychosocial Functioning

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Abstract

Identity is a critical developmental task during the transition to adulthood in Western societies. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate an empirically based, cluster-analytic identity status model, to examine whether all four of Marcia’s identity statuses (diffusion, foreclosure, moratorium, and achievement) would emerge empirically, and to identify different patterns of identity formation among American college-attending emerging adults. An ethnically diverse sample of 9,034 emerging-adult students (73% female; mean age 19.73 years) from 30 U.S. universities completed measures of identity exploration (ruminative, in breadth, and in depth) and commitment (commitment making and identification with commitment), identity synthesis and confusion, positive and negative psychosocial functioning, and health-compromising behaviors. The identity status cluster solution that emerged provided an adequate fit to the data and included all four of Marcia’s original identity statuses, along with Carefree Diffusion and Undifferentiated statuses. Results provided evidence for concurrent validity, construct validity, and practical applicability of these statuses. Implications for identity research are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, 1425 N.W. 10th Avenue, Room 321, Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Seth J. Schwartz

  2. Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Wim Beyers & Bart Soenens

  3. Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Koen Luyckx

  4. Smith College, Northampton, MA, USA

    Byron L. Zamboanga

  5. University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Larry F. Forthun

  6. Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA

    Sam A. Hardy

  7. Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA

    Alexander T. Vazsonyi

  8. University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA

    Lindsay S. Ham

  9. University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Su Yeong Kim

  10. University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA

    Susan Krauss Whitbourne

  11. The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ, USA

    Alan S. Waterman

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Schwartz, S.J., Beyers, W., Luyckx, K. et al. Examining the Light and Dark Sides of Emerging Adults’ Identity: A Study of Identity Status Differences in Positive and Negative Psychosocial Functioning. J Youth Adolescence 40, 839–859 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-010-9606-6

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