Aspirations Throughout Emerging Adulthood: The Effects of Socioeconomic Status and Depression

Arnett (2000a) recently proposed a new phase in the lifespan called Emerging Adulthood. Taking place between the ages of 18-29, emerging adulthood is a phase that places great emphasis on the self and formation of identity (Arnett, 2007; Haase, Poulin, & Heckhausen, 2012). During this period, aspirations and plans for the future are formed which lay the foundations for future adult life. As this life phase is relatively new, there is limited research investigating the formation of aspirations during this period. There is also a lack of research conducted within an Australian context. This thesis aimed to extend the current literature by investigating the extent to which a sample of emerging adults rated importance and confidence in achieving occupational aspirations and financial security aspirations. High hopes for the future were also examined. Further, to better understand emerging adults’ negotiation of this period, this thesis investigated the extent to which depression and socio-economic status (SES) were related to aspirations and hopes for the future. Specifically, it was predicted that participants reporting high levels of depression and of lower SES (compared to lower depression and of higher SES) would place lower importance and confidence in achieving occupational and financial security aspirations, as well as high hopes for the future. Furthermore, it was predicted that depression would mediate this relationships between SES and confidence in achieving occupational aspirations and financial security aspirations. A total of 321 emerging adults (96 males and 225 females) participated in an online survey. Results revealed that depression predicted a lack of confidence in achieving occupational and financial security aspirations, as well as lower ratings of high hopes for the future. Implications for further research, as well as strengths and limitations of the current thesis are discussed