Are they adults? Emerging adulthood, identity status and parental control

Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ispitati razlike između skupina pojedinaca različitog studentskog statusa u karakteristikama odraslosti u nastajanju i statusu identiteta te provjeriti povezanost roditeljske kontrole s dimenzijama identiteta odraslih u nastajanju. Istraživanje je provedeno na uzorku od 363 sudionika u dobi od 18 do 25 g. U istraživanju su korišteni sljedeći instrumenti: Inventar dimenzija odraslosti u nastajanju, Upitnik procesa razvoja identiteta, skale psihološke i bihevioralne kontrole te helikopter ponašanja, kao i čestica koja mjeri subjektivan osjećaj odraslosti. Rezultati pokazuju kako se nestudenti, studenti i diplomirani razlikuju na tri dimenzije odraslosti u nastajanju: doba mogućnosti, doba nestabilnosti i doba osjećaja razmeđe te dopunskoj skali doba fokusiranja na druge. Studenti u većoj mjeri nego diplomirani smatraju da je odraslost u nastajanju za njih doba nestabilnosti i doba osjećaja razmeđe, dok nestudenti u većoj mjeri nego studenti smatraju kako je odraslost u nastajanju za njih doba fokusiranja na druge. Većina pojedinaca koji su diplomirali se smatra odraslima, dok nestudenti i studenti većinom izjavljuju kako se smatraju odraslima samo u određenim aspektima. Nisu pronađene razlike u statusu identiteta između skupina različitog studentskog statusa. Sudionici čije majke češće iskazuju bihevioralnu i psihološku kontrolu te oni čiji očevi češće iskazuju psihološku kontrolu u manjoj se mjeri obvezuju u području identiteta, dok se oni čije majke iskazuju veću količinu helikopter ponašanja manje bave istraživanjem identiteta.The aim of this study was to examine the differences between groups of individuals of different student status in characteristics of emerging adulthood and identity status, and to examine the correlation between parental control and identity dimensions of emerging adults. The study included 363 participants aged from 18 to 25 years. The following measures were used in the study: The IDEA: Inventory of the Dimensions of Emerging Adulthood, Ego Identity Process Questionnaire, scales of parental psychological control, behavioral control and helicopter behaviors, and subjective sense of adulthood was measured with one item. Results show that nonstudents, students and graduates statistically differ in three dimensions of emerging adulthood: the age of possibilities, the age of instability and the age of feeling in-between, and the supplementary scale of the age of focus on others. Students, more than graduates, feel that for them emerging adulthood is the age of instability and the age of feeling in-between, while non-students, more than students, feel that emerging adulthood is the age of focus on others. Most individuals who graduated considered themselves as adults, while non-students and students mostly state that they considered themselves adults only in certain aspects. There were no differences in the identity status between groups of different student status. Participants whose mothers exhibit greater behavioral and psychological control and those whose fathers exhibit greater psychological control are less likely to commit to an identity, while those whose mothers exhibit a greater amount of helicopter behavior are less concerned with identity research