Me, Myself, and Mobility: The Relevance of Region for Young Adults‘ Identity Development

Abstract

As residential mobility is a common life event that particularly affects young adults, regional identity may be relevant for young adults. We therefore extended the three-dimensional identity model to the regional domain. The development of regional identity was studied using a prospective design over six months with a sample of 1,795 postsecondary graduates (71% female, mean age of 24.54 years), containing both movers and non-movers. Latent profile analyses and latent profile transition analyses revealed three main findings: First, solutions with four regional identity statuses-moratorium, searching moratorium, closure, and achievement-were found to be most interpretable. Second, the emergent statuses differed substantially in terms of Big Five personality traits and life satisfaction, as well as with moving experience. Third, the stability of identity status membership across a period of six months was highest for the non-movers group. Comparatively less stability across time was found for the movers, underscoring the relevance of transitions for identity development. Taken together, these findings show that even in a mobile world, region matters in identity development.

Me and you in a mobile world: The development of regional identity and personal relationships in young adulthood.

“…Regional identity. We assessed the regional identity dimensions of commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration using the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS; Crocetti et al, 2008) adapted for the domain of region (Schubach et al, 2016). Three items for each dimension are rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (completely true) to 5 (completely untrue).…”

Finding Myself Abroad: Adolescent Identity Processes and Sociocultural Adaptation During Intercultural Transitions

“…Studies using a natural experiment design confirmed that mobility experiences elicit adolescent development in aspects of young indviduals’ personality (Greischel, Noack, & Neyer, 2018; Hutteman et al, 2015; Schubach, Zimmermann, Noack, & Neyer, 2016). We suggest that, once abroad, adolescents’ familiar home environments (e.g., social networks, school, and daily routines) are replaced by a novel kind of freedom from familial and cultural expectations, which may, in turn, change the way sojourners see themselves.…”

Regional identity of personality: childhood experience

“…Being a cross-disciplinary one, the concept of regional identity in Russia is regarded within sociology, political science, geography, cultural studies [1,2,6,7,12,16,18,19,22,24].…”