ERIC Number: EJ889807
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-Sep
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0190-2725
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Differentiation in Self-Perceived Adulthood: Extending the Confluence Model of Subjective Age Identity
Johnson, Monica Kirkpatrick; Berg, Justin Allen; Sirotzki, Toni
Social Psychology Quarterly, v70 n3 p243-261 Sep 2007
This study examines and extends the confluence model of age identity by testing whether young people's self-perceptions as adults are linked to role transitions, self-assessed personal qualities, and social location. We propose that young people's sense of adulthood and the factors associated with it vary based on socially structured experience tied to race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and age. Analyzing data from 18-28 year olds in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we find racial/ethnic and socioeconomic status differences in age identity. Consistent with the confluence model, both role transitions and personal qualities are associated with age identity, although the most salient roles and qualities differ somewhat across racial/ethnic groups and consistently by socioeconomic status and age. We discuss the implications of these findings for understanding the transition to adulthood and adult identity, and for the young people themselves. (Contains 8 footnotes, 6 tables, and 2 figures.)
Descriptors: Adolescents, Young Adults, Self Concept, Developmental Stages, Adults, Role, Definitions, Social Change, Race, Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, Age, Context Effect
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A

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