Article Good Choices, Poor Choices: Relationship Between the Quality of Identity Commitments and Psychosocial Functioning

Research indicates making identity commitments on the part of emerging adults is associated with a wide range of psychosocial benefits. Data from a large research collaborative were used to evaluate hypotheses drawn from eudaimonic identity theory that the benefits of commitment are attributable to the quality of the commitments held. Findings from a study with 9,650 students attending 30 colleges and universities replicated previous research indicating the benefits of identity commitments with respect to subjective well-being, psychological well-being, self-esteem, an internal locus of control; and reduced likelihood of symptoms of general anxiety, social anxiety, and depression. However, when a measure of the quality of identity commitments was added to the analyses, results indicated that commitment quality accounted almost entirely for the associations of identity commitments with psychosocial functioning. Identity commitments of low quality were found to be associated with psychological costs rather than benefits. Implications for helping emerging adults distinguish better identity choices are discussed. Keywords identity, well-being, eudaimonism, commitment Erikson (1968) focused theoretical attention on the important role played by a sense of personal identity with respect to successful psychosocial functioning. Identity formation is viewed as the pri-mary developmental task in the transition from adolescence to adulthood,with the greatest proportion of developmental changes occurring during the years identified as emerging adulthood (Waterman, 1993a). During this period, developing individuals have increasedopportunities for exploring possibilities pertaining to work, relationships, and ideological worldviews, such as religious and political beliefs. Due to globalization processes, emerging adulthood as a distinct stage of life is becoming more universal (Arnett, 2002). Within industrial nations, individuals obtaining postsecondary education are likely to encounter a broader range of options compared to those who do not (Marcia