In this study, the identity formation of emerging adults in Sweden was investigated in order to discover how identity issues concerning love, work and family are handled. The study group comprised 136 24- to 26-year-olds. The results revealed differences between men and women with regard to their position in the identity formation process. While women were more likely to have made identity-defining decisions after a process of active exploration (identity achievement), men were less likely to explore identity issues and lacked identity-defining commitments (identity diffusion). The position in the identity formation process was related to romantic relationships and occupational contexts. The results are discussed in relation to the sociocultural context of emerging adults in Sweden.
Adamson, L., Hartman, S.G., & Lyxell, B. ( 1999). Adolescent identity-A qualitative approach: Self-concept, existential questions and adult contacts. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 40, 21-31.
2.
Adamson, L., & Lyxell, B. ( 1996). Self-concept and questions of life: Identity development during late adolescence. Journal of Adolescence, 19, 569-582.
3.
Arnett, J.J. ( 1998). Learning to stand alone: The contemporary American transition to adulthood in cultural and historical context. Human Development , 41, 295-315.
4.
Arnett, J.J. ( 2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55, 469-480.
5.
Arnett, J.J. ( 2006). Emerging adulthood: The winding road from the late teens through the twenties. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
6.
Årseth, A.K., Kroger, J., & Martinussen, M. (2009). Meta-analytic studies of identity status and the relational issues of attachment and intimacy. Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 9, 1-32.
7.
Bennion, L.D., & Adams, G.R. ( 1986). A revision of the extended version of the Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status: An identity instrument for use with late adolescents . Journal of Adolescent Research, 1, 183-198.
8.
Bergh, S., & Erling, A. ( 2005). Adolescent identity formation: A Swedish study of identity status using the EOM-EIS-II. Adolescence, 40, 377-396.
9.
Berman, S.L., Weems, C.F., Rodriguez, E.T., & Zamora, I.J. ( 2006). The relation between identity status and romantic attachment style in middle and late adolescence. Journal of Adolescence , 29, 737-748.
10.
Björnberg, U. ( 2000). Equality and backlash-Family, gender, and social policy in Sweden. In L. Haas, P. Hwang, & G. Russel (Eds.), Organizational change and gender equity (pp. 57-75). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
11.
Born, A. ( 2007). Well-diffused? Identity diffusion and well-being in emerging adulthood. In M. Watzlawik & A. Born (Eds.), Capturing identity: Quantitative and qualitative methods (pp. 149-162). Lanham, MD: University Press of America.
12.
Danielsen, L.M., Lorem, A.E., & Kroger, J. ( 2000). The impact of social context on the identity formation process of Norwegian late adolescents. Youth & Society , 31, 332-362.
13.
Erikson, E.H. ( 1950). Childhood and society. London: Norton.
14.
Erikson, E.H. ( 1968). Identity youth and crisis. New York, NY: Norton.
15.
Erikson, E.H. ( 1980). Identity and the life cycle. New York, NY: Norton.
16.
Fadjukoff, P., Pulkkinen, L., & Kokko, K. ( 2005). Identity processes in adulthood: Diverging domains. Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 5, 1-20.
17.
Frisén, A., & Bergh, S. ( 2006, March). Adolescent identity formation: A Swedish study of identity status using the EOM-EIS-II. Poster presented at Society for Research on Identity Formation, Twelfth Annual Conference . San Francisco, USA.
18.
Goossens, L. ( 2001). Global versus domain-specific statuses in identity research: A comparison of two self-report measures. Journal of Adolescence , 24, 681-699.
19.
Grotevant, H.D. ( 1987). Toward a process model of identity formation. Journal of Adolescent Research, 2, 203-222.
20.
Guiso, L., Monte, F., Sapienza, P., & Zingales, L. ( 2008). Diversity: Culture, gender and math. Science, 320, 1164-1165.
21.
Haas, L.L., & Hwang, P. ( 2000). Programs and policies promoting women’s economic equality and men’s sharing of childcare in Sweden. In L. L. Haas, P. Hwang , & G. Russel (Eds.), Organizational change and gender equity (pp. 133-162). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
22.
Härenstam, A., & Bejerot, E. ( 2001). Combining professional work with family responsibilities-A burden or a blessing? International Journal of Social Welfare , 10, 202-214.
23.
Hoegh, D.G., & Bourgeois, M.J. (2002). Prelude and postlude to the self: Correlates of achieved identity. Youth & Society , 33, 573-594.
24.
Inglehart, R., & Baker, W.E. ( 2000). Modernization, cultural change, and the persistence of traditional values. American Sociological Review, 65, 19-51.
25.
Jensen, M., Kristiansen, I., Sandbekk, M., & Kroger, J. ( 1998). Ego identity status in cross-cultural context: A comparison of Norwegian and United States university students. Psychological Reports, 83, 455-460.
26.
Kacerguis, M.A., & Adams, G.R. ( 1980). Erikson stage resolution: The relationship between identity and intimacy. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 9, 117-126.
27.
Kennedy, J.H. ( 1999). Romantic attachment style and ego identity, attributional style, and family of origin in first-year college students. College Student Journal, 33, 171-181.
28.
Kroger, J. ( 1997). Gender and identity: The intersection of structure, content and context. Sex Roles, 36, 747-771.
29.
Kroger, J. ( 2007a). Identity development: Adolescence through adulthood (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA : SAGE.
30.
Kroger, J. ( 2007b). Why is identity achievement so elusive?Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 7, 331-348.
31.
Lewis, H.L. ( 2003). Difference in ego identity among college students across age, ethnicity and gender. Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 3, 159-189.
32.
Magnusson, E. ( 2006). Hon, han och hemmet. Genuspsykologiska perspektiv på vardagslivet i nordiska barnfamiljer [She, he and the home: Gender perspectives on the psychology of everyday life in Nordic families with children]. Stockholm, Sweden: Natur och Kultur.
33.
Marcia, J.E. ( 1966). Development and validation of ego-identity status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 3, 551-558.
34.
Marcia, J.E. ( 1989). Identity diffusion differentiated. In M. A. Luszcz & T. Nettelbeck (Eds.), Psychological development: Perspectives across the life-span (pp. 289-295). North-Holland: Elsevier.
35.
Marcia, J. E., Waterman, A. S., Mattesson, D. R., Archer, S. L., & Orlofsky, J. L. (Eds.). (1993). Ego identity. A handbook for psychosocial research. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag.
36.
Montgomery, M.J. ( 2005). Psychosocial intimacy and identity: From early adolescence to emerging adulthood. Journal of Adolescent Research, 20, 346-374.
37.
Morash, M.A. ( 1980). Working class membership and the adolescent identity crisis. Adolescence, 15, 313-320.
38.
Munro, G., & Adams, G. ( 1977). Ego-Identity in college students and working youth. Developmental Psychology, 13, 523-524.
39.
Orlofsky, J.L. ( 1993). Intimacy status. Theory and research. In J. E. Marcia, A. S. Waterman , M. D. R. S. L. Archer, & J. L. Orlofsky (Eds.), Ego identity: A handbook for psychosocial research (pp. 111-136). New York, NY: Springer-Verlag.
40.
Orlofsky, J.L., Marcia, J.E., & Lesser, I.M. ( 1973). Ego identity status and the intimacy versus isolation crisis of young adulthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 27, 211-219.
41.
Pastorino, E., Dunham, R.M., Kidwell, J., Bacho, R., & Lamborn, S.D. ( 1997). Domain-specific gender comparisons in identity development among college youth: Ideology and relationships. Adolescence , 32, 559-577.
42.
Raskin, P.M. ( 1986). The relationship between identity and intimacy in early adulthood. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 147, 167-181.
43.
Schwartz, S.J. ( 2002). Convergent validity in objective measures of identity status. Implications for identity status theory. Adolescence , 37, 609-625.
44.
Schwartz, S.J., Adamson, L., Ferrer-Wreder, L., Dillon, F.R., & Berman, S.L. ( 2006). Identity status measurement across contexts: variations in measurement structure and mean levels among white American, Hispanic American, and Swedish emerging adults. Journal of Personality Assessment , 86, 61-76.
45.
Shanahan, M.J. ( 2000). Pathways to adulthood in changing societies: Variability and mechanisms in life course perspectives. Annual Review of Psychology, 26, 667-692.
46.
Sommestad, L. ( 1997). Welfare state attitudes to the male breadwinning system: The United States and Sweden in comparative perspective. International Review of Social History, 42, 153-174.
47.
Statistics Sweden. ( 2008). På tal om kvinnor och män [Speaking about women and men]. Stockholm, Sweden: Author.
48.
Stegarud, L., Solheim, B., Karlsen, M., & Kroger, J. ( 1999). Ego identity status in cross-cultural context: A replication study. Psychological Reports, 85, 457-461.
49.
Swedish Youth Board. (2007). Unga med attityd: Ungdomsstyrelsens attityd och värderingsstudie 2007 [Youth with attitude: A study of attitudes and values from the Swedish youth board 2007]. Sweden: Ungdomsstyrelsens skrifter2007:11.
50.
Tesch, S.A., & Whitbourne, S.K. (1982). Intimacy and identity status in young adults. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 43, 1041-1051.
51.
Trost, K. ( 2006). Adolescents in Sweden. In J. J. Arnett (Ed.), International encyclopedia of adolescence (pp. 947-965). New York, NY: Routledge.
52.
Vleioras, G., & Bosma, H.A. ( 2005). Predicting change in relational identity commitments: Exploration and emotions. Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 5, 35-56.
