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Testing a process-oriented model of identity development in South Korean young adults

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Abstract

The five-dimensional process-oriented model of identity development delineates the formation and evaluation cycles of identity and includes ruminative exploration. In South Korea, individualistic and collectivistic cultures coexist, and such culture may influence the identity development process of young adults. However, identity development in Korean young adults has not been studied abundantly. In particular, the five-dimensional model of identity has never been used to study a Korean sample. In the present study, we tested the applicability of the five-dimensional model of identity with South Korean young adults between ages 19 and 25 (N = 548; Mage = 22.72; SDage = 1.93; 44.2% men). Specifically, we examined the measurement model of the Dimensions of Identity Development Scale (DIDS) and nomological net of the identity dimensions. Further, we conducted a cluster analysis to derive identity statuses. Results indicated that the five-factor model of the DIDS could be applied in our sample. The identity dimensions were related to each other and with external variables in ways that were mostly consistent with previous studies. Exploration in breadth and exploration in depth’s relations with commitment making, identification with commitment, and psychosocial functioning, which have not been consistent in previous studies, were positive. Finally, we identified five identity status clusters that resembled statuses identified in previous studies, but further research would be needed to ensure comparability.

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Acknowledgement

This study was supported by the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development and the Graduate School of Arts and Science at Tufts University, Masschusetts, United States of America as well as by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2017S1A5A2A03068974).

The datasets generated used in the present study are available in the OSF repository, https://osf.io/3sq59/.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA

    Yerin Park & Sara K. Johnson

  2. School of Psychology, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02841, South Korea

    Seheon Kim, Garam Kim & Sun W. Park

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  1. Yerin Park
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  2. Seheon Kim
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  3. Garam Kim
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Correspondence to Sun W. Park.

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Park, Y., Kim, S., Kim, G. et al. Testing a process-oriented model of identity development in South Korean young adults. Curr Psychol 42, 5447–5461 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01838-w

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