Paths to Adult Identity Resolution – At the Intersection of Agency and Structure: A Differential Study Among Portuguese Emerging Adults
Main Article Content
Abstract
In contemporary Western individualized societies, both positive psychology and identity capital theory have identified a set of psychosocial assets indispensable for the negotiation of opportunities and risks inherent to the process of transition to adulthood. From among the various identity capital resources, this study focuses on agentic capacities, as one of the most valuable due to their motivational power, and school trajectories, as a powerful structural determinant of transition to adulthood trajectories. In order to better understand the anticipation of adult roles, two studies were carried out aiming to (1) observe differences in agentic capacities (measured by their levels of self-efficacy beliefs, expectations of success concerning the performance of adult roles, and exploration of worldviews and adult roles) and adult identity resolution according to the youths’ level of education; (2) assess the predictive power of youths’ agentic capacities in adult identity resolution, examining possible variations according to the level of education. Differences according to level of education were found regarding identity resolution with less educated youths evidencing higher levels of adult identity resolution. As far as the predictive power of agentic capacities over identity resolution is concerned, it was observed that the type and amount of identity capital that is relevant for the acquisition of a sense of adult maturity varies according to educational level of emerging adults.
Keywords:
emerging adulthood, self-efficacy, expectations of success, exploration, level of education, identity resolution
Article Details
How to Cite
OLIVEIRA, José Egídio; FONTAINE, Anne Marie.
Paths to Adult Identity Resolution – At the Intersection of Agency and Structure: A Differential Study Among Portuguese Emerging Adults.
Medical Research Archives, [S.l.], v. 11, n. 7.1, july 2023.
ISSN 2375-1924.
Available at: <https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/4012>. Date accessed: 15 may 2024.
doi: https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v11i7.1.4012.
Section
Research Articles
The Medical Research Archives grants authors the right to publish and reproduce the unrevised contribution in whole or in part at any time and in any form for any scholarly non-commercial purpose with the condition that all publications of the contribution include a full citation to the journal as published by the Medical Research Archives.
References
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doi: 10.1037//0003-066X.55.5.469
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32. Côté J, Schwartz S. Comparing psychological and sociological approaches to identity: identity status, identity capital, and the individualization process. Journal of Adolescence. 2002; 25: 571-586.
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37. Erikson E H. Childhood and society. New York: Norton; 1995.
38. Fontaine AM. Motivação em contexto escolar (Motivation in the school context). Lisboa: Universidade Aberta; 2005.
39. Furlong A, Cartmel F. Young people and social change: individualization and risk in late modernity. Buckingham: Open University Press; 1997.
40. Grolnick WS, Levitt M, Caruso A. Adolescent autonomy in context: Facilitative parenting in diferent cultures, domains and settings. In: Soenens B, Vansteenkiste M, Van Petegem S, eds. Autonomy in adolescent development: Towards conceptual clarity (pp. 94–118). Abingdon, UK: Routledge; 2018: 94-118.
41. Guerreiro M D, Abrantes P. Transições incertas: os jovens perante o trabalho e a família. Lisboa: Editorial do Ministério da Educação; 2007.
42. Hyde JS, Durik AM. Gender, competence and motivation. In: Elliot AJ, Dweck CS, eds. Handbook of competence and motivation. New York: The Guilford Press; 2005: 375-391.
43. Jerusalem M, Mittag W. Self-efficacy in stressful life transitions. In: Bandura A, ed. Self-efficacy in changing societies. New York: Cambridge University Press; 1995: 177-201.
44. Kelly AV. The Curriculum: Theory and Practice. London: Sage Publications Ltd; 2009.
45. Keith TZ. Multiple Regression and Beyond: An Introduction to Multiple Regression and Structural Equation Modeling. New York: Routledge; 2019.
46. Kline RB. Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling (4th ed.). New York: The Guilford Press; 2016.
47. Lanz M, Tagliabue S. Do I really need someone in order to become an adult? Romantic relationships during emerging adulthood in Italy. Journal of Adolescent Research. 2007; 22(5): 531-549.
48. Mannino JE. Resilience and Transitioning to Adulthood among Emerging Adults with Disabilities. Journal of Pediatric Nursing. 2015; 30(5): 131-145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2015.05.017.
49. Marsh HW, Parker J. Determinants of student self-concept: Is it better to be a relatively large fish in a small pond even if you don’t learn to swim as well? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1984; 47: 213–231.
50. Mauritti R. Padrões de vida dos estudantes universitários nos processos de transição para a vida adulta. Sociologia, Problemas e Práticas. 2002; 39: 85-116.
51. Melendro M, Campos G, Rodríguez-Bravo AE, Arroyo Resino D. Young People’s Autonomy and Psychological Well-Being in the Transition to Adulthood: A Pathway Analysis. Frontiers in Psychology. 2020; 11:1946. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01946
52. Mortimer JT, Kim M, Staff J, Vuolo M. Unemployment, parental help, and self-efficacy during the transition to adulthood. Work and Occupations. 2016; 43(4): 434–465. https://doi.org/10.1177/0730888416656904
53. Oliveira JE, Mendonça M, Coimbra S, Fontaine AM. Family support in the transition to adulthood in Portugal: its effects on identity capital development, uncertainty management and psychological well-being. Journal of Adolescence. 2014; 37(8): 1449-1462. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2014.07.004. Epub 2014 Aug 15. PMID: 25132400.
54. Pais JM. Ganchos, tachos e biscates: jovens, trabalho e futuro. Porto: Âmbar; 2001.
55. Pais JM. Laberintos de vida: paro juvenil y rutas de salida (jóvenes portugueses). Estudios de juventud. 2002; 56: 87-101.
56. Pajares F, Schunk DH. Self-efficacy and self-concept beliefs: Jointly contributing to the quality of human life. In: Marsh HW, Craven RG, McInerney DM, eds. International advances in self research Vol. II. Greenwich: Age Publishing; 2005: 95-122.
57. Petrogiannis K. Conceptions of the transition to adulthood in a sample of Greek higher education students. International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy. 2011; 11(1):121-137
58. Ramos V. Transitions to Adulthood and Generational Change in Portugal. Societies. 2018; 8(2): 21. MDPI AG. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/soc8020021
59. Reifman A. Journeys through Emerging Adulthood. New York: Routledge; 2022.
60. Scabini E, Marta E, Lanz M. The transition to adulthood and family relations: an intergenerational approach. New York: Psychology Press; 2006.
61. Scales P, Leffert N. Developmental assets: A synthesis of scientific research on adolescent development. Minneapolis: Search Institute; 1999.
62. Schunk DH, Pajares F. Competence perception and academic functioning. In: A. J. Elliot AJ, Dweck CS, eds. Handbook of competence and motivation. New York: The Guilford Press; 2005: 85-104.
63. Schwartz SJ. The evolution of eriksonian and neo-eriksonian identity theory and research: a review and integration. Identity: an international journal of theory and research. 2001; 1(1): 7-58.
64. Schwartz SJ. The Structure of Identity Consolidation: Multiple Correlated Constructs or One Superordinate Construct? Identity: an international journal of theory and research. 2007; 7(1): 27-49. https://doi.org/10.1080/15283480701319583
65. Schwartz S, Côté J, Arnett J. Identity and agency in emerging adulthood: two developmental routes in the individualization process. Youth and Society. 2005; 37: 201-229.
66. Shanahan MJ. Pathways to adulthood in changing societies: Variability and mechanisms in life course perspective. Annual Review of Sociology. 2000; 26: 667-692.
67. Skhirtladze N, Van Petegem S, Javakhishvili N, Schwartz S, Luyckx K. Motivation and psychological need fulfllment on the pathway to identity resolution. Motivation and Emotion. 2019; 43(6): 894-905. DOI:10.1007/s11031-019-09795-5
68. Sroufe JW. Assessment of parent-adolescent relationships: Implication for adolescent development. Journal of Family Psychology. 1991; 5: 21-45.
69. Wigfield A, Eccles JS. Expectancy–Value Theory of Achievement Motivation. Contemporary Educational Psychology. 2000; 25(1): 68-81. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1999.1015.
doi: 10.1037//0003-066X.55.5.469
2. Arnett J. Emerging adulthood: understanding the new way of coming of age. In J. J. Arnett & J. L. Tanner, Emerging adults in America: coming of age in the 21st century. Washington: American Psychological Association; 2006.
3. Arnett J. Emerging adulthood: The winding road from the late teens through the twenties. New York: Oxford University Press; 2015.
4. Artamonova A., Guerreiro M. D., Höjer I. Time and context shaping the transition from out-of-home care to adulthood in Portugal. Children and Youth Services Review. 2020; 115: 105105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105105.
5. Bandura A. Human agency in social cognitive theory. American Psychologist. 1989; 44: 1175-1184.
6. Bandura A. Social cognitive theory. In Vasta R, ed. Annals of child development. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press; 1989: 1-60.
7. Bandura A. Self-efficacy in changing societies. New York: Cambridge University Press; 1995.
8. Bandura A. Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review.1997; 84: 191-215.
9. Banks M, Bates I, Breakwell GM, Bynner J, Emler N, Jamieson L, Roberts K. Careers and Identities. Milton Keynes: Open University Press; 1992.
10. Bauman Z. The individualized society. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Ltd; 2001.
11. Bauman Z. Liquid times: living in an age of uncertainty. Cambridge: Polity Press; 2007.
12. Beck U. Risk society: towards a new modernity. London: Sage; 1992.
13. Beck U. Was ist globalisierung. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp; 2007.
14. Beck U, Beck-Gernsheim E. Individualization: institutionalized individualism and its social and political consequences. London: Sage: 2002.
15. Beyers W, Çok F. Adolescent self and identity development in context. Journal of Adolescence. 2008; 31: 147-150.
16. Beyers W, Goossens L. Dynamics of perceived parenting and identity formation in late adolescence. Journal of Adolescence. 2008; 31: 165-184.
17. Bussey K, Bandura A. Social cognitive theory of gender development and differentiation. Psychological Review. 1999; 106: 676-713.
18. Bynner J, Parsons S. Social exclusion and the transition from school-to-work: The case of young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET). Journal of Vocational Behavior. 2002; 60(2): 289–309. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.2001.1868
19. Byrne BM. Testing for Multigroup Equivalence of a Measuring Instrument: A Walk through the Process. Psicothema. 2008; 20: 872-882.
20. Cavalli A, Galland O. Youth in Europe (Social change in Western Europe). London: Pinter; 1995.
21. Cha H. Past, present, and future dimensions of socioeconomic status and sexual self-efficacy of young women during the transition into adulthood. Social Science & Medicine. 2022; 306: 115128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115128.
22. Coimbra S, Fontaine AM. Construction and Validation of Self-Efficacy towards Adult Roles Scale. Contemporary Issues in Education. 2010; 1(1): 7-22.
23. Côté J. Sociological perspectives on identity formation: the culture-identity link and identity capital. Journal of adolescence. 1996; 19: 419-430. doi: 140971/96/050417+12/$18.00/0
24. Côté J. An empirical test of the identity capital model. Journal of Adolescence. 1997; 20: 421-437.
25. Côté J. Arrested adulthood. New York: New York University Press; 2000.
26. Côté J. Emerging adulthood as an institutionalized moratorium: risks and benefits to identity formation. In J. J. Arnett & J. L. Tanner, eds. Emerging adults in America: coming of age in the 21st century. Washington: American Psychological Association; 2006: 85-116.
27. Côté J. The identity capital model: A handbook of theory, methods, and fndings. Unpublished manuscript, Department of Sociology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON; 2016.
28. Côté J, Allahar A. Ivory tower blues: a university system in crisis. Toronto: University of Toronto Press; 2007.
29. Côté J, Bynner J. Changes in the transition to adulthood in the UK and Canada : the role of structure and agency in emerging adulthood. Journal of Youth Studies. 2008; 11: 251-268.
30. Côté J, Levine C. Identity formation, agency, and culture: A social psychological synthesis (2nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Psychology Press; 2014.
31. Côté J, Mizokami S, Roberts S, Nakama, R. An examination of the cross-cultural validity of the Identity Capital Model: American and Japanese students compared. Journal of Adolescence. 2016; 46 : 76–85.
32. Côté J, Schwartz S. Comparing psychological and sociological approaches to identity: identity status, identity capital, and the individualization process. Journal of Adolescence. 2002; 25: 571-586.
33. Eccles J. Subjective task value and the Eccles et al. model of achievement-related choices. In: Elliot A, Dweck C, eds. Handbook of competence and motivation. New York: The Guilford Press; 2005: 105-121.
34. Eccles J, Wigfield A. Motivational beliefs, values and goals. Annual Review of Psychology. 2002; 53: 109-132.
35. Elder GH. Life trajectories in changing societies. In: Bandura A, ed. Self-efficacy in changing societies. New York: Cambridge University Press; 1995: 46-68.
36. Erikson E H. Identity and the life cycle. New York: Norton; 1994.
37. Erikson E H. Childhood and society. New York: Norton; 1995.
38. Fontaine AM. Motivação em contexto escolar (Motivation in the school context). Lisboa: Universidade Aberta; 2005.
39. Furlong A, Cartmel F. Young people and social change: individualization and risk in late modernity. Buckingham: Open University Press; 1997.
40. Grolnick WS, Levitt M, Caruso A. Adolescent autonomy in context: Facilitative parenting in diferent cultures, domains and settings. In: Soenens B, Vansteenkiste M, Van Petegem S, eds. Autonomy in adolescent development: Towards conceptual clarity (pp. 94–118). Abingdon, UK: Routledge; 2018: 94-118.
41. Guerreiro M D, Abrantes P. Transições incertas: os jovens perante o trabalho e a família. Lisboa: Editorial do Ministério da Educação; 2007.
42. Hyde JS, Durik AM. Gender, competence and motivation. In: Elliot AJ, Dweck CS, eds. Handbook of competence and motivation. New York: The Guilford Press; 2005: 375-391.
43. Jerusalem M, Mittag W. Self-efficacy in stressful life transitions. In: Bandura A, ed. Self-efficacy in changing societies. New York: Cambridge University Press; 1995: 177-201.
44. Kelly AV. The Curriculum: Theory and Practice. London: Sage Publications Ltd; 2009.
45. Keith TZ. Multiple Regression and Beyond: An Introduction to Multiple Regression and Structural Equation Modeling. New York: Routledge; 2019.
46. Kline RB. Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling (4th ed.). New York: The Guilford Press; 2016.
47. Lanz M, Tagliabue S. Do I really need someone in order to become an adult? Romantic relationships during emerging adulthood in Italy. Journal of Adolescent Research. 2007; 22(5): 531-549.
48. Mannino JE. Resilience and Transitioning to Adulthood among Emerging Adults with Disabilities. Journal of Pediatric Nursing. 2015; 30(5): 131-145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2015.05.017.
49. Marsh HW, Parker J. Determinants of student self-concept: Is it better to be a relatively large fish in a small pond even if you don’t learn to swim as well? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1984; 47: 213–231.
50. Mauritti R. Padrões de vida dos estudantes universitários nos processos de transição para a vida adulta. Sociologia, Problemas e Práticas. 2002; 39: 85-116.
51. Melendro M, Campos G, Rodríguez-Bravo AE, Arroyo Resino D. Young People’s Autonomy and Psychological Well-Being in the Transition to Adulthood: A Pathway Analysis. Frontiers in Psychology. 2020; 11:1946. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01946
52. Mortimer JT, Kim M, Staff J, Vuolo M. Unemployment, parental help, and self-efficacy during the transition to adulthood. Work and Occupations. 2016; 43(4): 434–465. https://doi.org/10.1177/0730888416656904
53. Oliveira JE, Mendonça M, Coimbra S, Fontaine AM. Family support in the transition to adulthood in Portugal: its effects on identity capital development, uncertainty management and psychological well-being. Journal of Adolescence. 2014; 37(8): 1449-1462. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2014.07.004. Epub 2014 Aug 15. PMID: 25132400.
54. Pais JM. Ganchos, tachos e biscates: jovens, trabalho e futuro. Porto: Âmbar; 2001.
55. Pais JM. Laberintos de vida: paro juvenil y rutas de salida (jóvenes portugueses). Estudios de juventud. 2002; 56: 87-101.
56. Pajares F, Schunk DH. Self-efficacy and self-concept beliefs: Jointly contributing to the quality of human life. In: Marsh HW, Craven RG, McInerney DM, eds. International advances in self research Vol. II. Greenwich: Age Publishing; 2005: 95-122.
57. Petrogiannis K. Conceptions of the transition to adulthood in a sample of Greek higher education students. International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy. 2011; 11(1):121-137
58. Ramos V. Transitions to Adulthood and Generational Change in Portugal. Societies. 2018; 8(2): 21. MDPI AG. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/soc8020021
59. Reifman A. Journeys through Emerging Adulthood. New York: Routledge; 2022.
60. Scabini E, Marta E, Lanz M. The transition to adulthood and family relations: an intergenerational approach. New York: Psychology Press; 2006.
61. Scales P, Leffert N. Developmental assets: A synthesis of scientific research on adolescent development. Minneapolis: Search Institute; 1999.
62. Schunk DH, Pajares F. Competence perception and academic functioning. In: A. J. Elliot AJ, Dweck CS, eds. Handbook of competence and motivation. New York: The Guilford Press; 2005: 85-104.
63. Schwartz SJ. The evolution of eriksonian and neo-eriksonian identity theory and research: a review and integration. Identity: an international journal of theory and research. 2001; 1(1): 7-58.
64. Schwartz SJ. The Structure of Identity Consolidation: Multiple Correlated Constructs or One Superordinate Construct? Identity: an international journal of theory and research. 2007; 7(1): 27-49. https://doi.org/10.1080/15283480701319583
65. Schwartz S, Côté J, Arnett J. Identity and agency in emerging adulthood: two developmental routes in the individualization process. Youth and Society. 2005; 37: 201-229.
66. Shanahan MJ. Pathways to adulthood in changing societies: Variability and mechanisms in life course perspective. Annual Review of Sociology. 2000; 26: 667-692.
67. Skhirtladze N, Van Petegem S, Javakhishvili N, Schwartz S, Luyckx K. Motivation and psychological need fulfllment on the pathway to identity resolution. Motivation and Emotion. 2019; 43(6): 894-905. DOI:10.1007/s11031-019-09795-5
68. Sroufe JW. Assessment of parent-adolescent relationships: Implication for adolescent development. Journal of Family Psychology. 1991; 5: 21-45.
69. Wigfield A, Eccles JS. Expectancy–Value Theory of Achievement Motivation. Contemporary Educational Psychology. 2000; 25(1): 68-81. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1999.1015.