2007/09/01 by Monica Kirkpatrick Johnson, Justin Allen Berg, Toni Sirotzki · 1 citation
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Aging and Gerontology Research #Demography #Developmental psychology #Ethnic group #Gender studies #Health disparities and outcomes #Identity (music) #Identity, Memory, and Therapy #Life course approach #Perception #Personal identity #Population #Psychology #Race (biology) #Self-concept #Social class #Social group #Social identity theory #Social psychology #Socioeconomic status #Sociology #Young adult
paper · doi:10.1177/019027250707000304
crossref issued 2007/09/01 · crossref published 2007/09/01 · crossref published-online 2007/09/01 · crossref published-print 2007/09/01 · openalex publication_date 2007/09/01 · crossref created 2010/01/05 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref deposited 2026/05/01 · crossref indexed 2026/07/31 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
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.