Author:

Keywords:

Social Sciences, Psychology, Social, Psychology, Identity, Self-esteem, Self, Adolescence, Transition to adulthood, EMERGING ADULTHOOD, ETHNIC-IDENTITY, FIT INDEXES, ADOLESCENCE, EXPLORATION, STABILITY, CONTEXT, AGE, CONSTRUCTION, ADJUSTMENT, 1503 Business and Management, 1701 Psychology, 1702 Cognitive Sciences, Social Psychology, 5201 Applied and developmental psychology, 5204 Cognitive and computational psychology, 5205 Social and personality psychology

Abstract:

Based on a dual-cycle identity model, we examined how identity processes were associated with self-esteem in high school and college students. Cross-lagged analyses in three longitudinal studies found that commitment making and identification with commitment were positively related and ruminative exploration was negatively related to self-esteem. A self-esteem main-effects model was supported in high school students (with self-esteem predicting these identity processes) and a reciprocal model was supported in college students (with identification with commitment and ruminative exploration being reciprocally related to self-esteem). Apparently, high self-esteem functions as a resource for tackling identity-related issues in high school and college students. When adolescents enter college and make the transition to adulthood, identity consolidation, in turn, increasingly plays into self-esteem as well. © 2012 Elsevier Inc.