Identity And Early Adulthood

Rachel Barkfelt

Adulthood is an idealized stage in which individuals are expected to have their life together and become contributing members of society. The basic expectation can be equated to a butterfly, where “an adult is suppose to emerge fully formed and on cue, after a succession of developmental stages in childhood” (Adult Stages: Growth Towards Self Tolerance). While this concept may be ideal, it is far from reality; the time of early adulthood, as well as mid-adulthood is a time for continuous growth and development, just like childhood and adolescent stages.

(A) There are two vital psychological needs that must be met in early adulthood in order to properly progress into further stages, these are identity exploration and intimacy.

Identity exploration ultimately leads to an individual finding purpose in life; to accomplish this task one must find people or ideas to have faith in. This stage in life begins the concept of an “adult vision”, and if fostered correctly, it allows worthwhile dreams to be constructed and gives a new sense of meaning to both the present and future. Finding one’s place in the world and having a sense of true identity is of utmost importance during this life stage, yet it is easy for individuals to be “swept up” and continuously want to propel forward in life without a true sense of direction. Asking the “big questions” aid in combating this phenomenon; questions like “who do I really want to become” and “what constitutes meaningful work” help an individual reflect on what will make their life purposeful and fulfills a vital psychological need (Big Questions, Worthy Dreams). The idea of intimacy, according to Erikson, also feeds into the idea of identity development in young adulthood.

Although there are a vast amount of general adulthood needs, three of these will be discussed in depth: personal growth, environmental mastery and purpose in life. Personal growth is an important factor that allows one to feel as though they are continuously developing throughout their life course; the ability to make improvements to one’s self and reflecting on past experiences is vital to a healthy adulthood. When an individual lacks personal growth, they can feel stuck (stagnation) and become stuck in a psychological ‘limbo’ that restricts them from progressing through life (Psychological Well Being at Midlife). Environmental mastery in adulthood allows an individual to properly adapt to various situations and gives a sense of control in one’s life; without this, an individual feels that they are unable to change their current situation and has difficulty overseeing everyday tasks (Psychological Well Being at Midlife). Finally, and arguably the most important need that must be fulfilled in adulthood is purpose. Purpose in life is different for every individual, but must be present for psychological health to persist; purpose is the driving force that allows people to reach goals and gives a person the feeling that