Young Adult Identities and Their Pathways: a Developmental and Life Course Model

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Young Adult Identities and Their Pathways: A Developmental and Life Course Model In this article we review several studies on how young adults identify themselves in modern world and how our society and their own experiences shape their adulthood. It focuses on the variations between gender, socioeconomic status, and race-ethnicity, psychological adjustment, and family. Several studies have shown that developmental model of a young adult’s identity can be divided in two strands: sociological and psychosocial. In order to see the whole picture of a young adult’s identity and fully understand how the transformation to adulthood happens, we need to bring the two processes together. In the first process young adults’ identity is shaped by the social norms which dictate what is appropriate or not for a certain age, and what does society expects from and individual. Young adults begin to identify themselves by the people of the same age or social status. Basically, it’s a comparison of oneself with others of the same age. The study suggests that in this process a psychological development plays an important role as well. This process focuses mostly on and individual’s level of ability to adapt to a new environment, and learning to be responsible. Psychological traits of a young adult identify their roles as adults. A holistic model of development connects the age identity and level of a psychosocial maturation, but might develop at different rates. On the one hand, adolescents who age and mature earlier than their peers, typically due to accelerated pubertal maturation and responsibilities often do not have the psychosocial skills to cope successfully with the demands of the new roles and responsibilities that accompany this status. On the other hand, youth that develops age identities later rather than earlier are oftentimes among the first to attain psychosocial

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