Koen Luyckx

Reciprocal Relations Between Teacher–Child Conflict and Aggressive Behavior in Kindergarten: A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study

In recent developmental theorizing, it has been hypothesized that teacher–child conflict and childrens externalizing behavior affect one another reciprocally over time. However, the relation between teacher–child conflict and externalizing behavior has been mainly studied from a unidirectional point of view. Therefore, this study aimed to test the hypothesis of bidirectionality by means of a cross-lagged longitudinal design with kindergarten teacher reports on core variables at 3 measurement occasions in 1 year. Structural equation modeling with data of 148 kindergartners provided evidence for the hypothesis of bidirectionality. Specifically, results supported a transactional sequence in which childrens aggressive behavior at the beginning of kindergarten led to increases in teacher–child conflict midyear, which in turn led to an increase of aggressive behavior at the end of the kindergarten school year.

Parental Psychological Control and Dimensions of Identity Formation in Emerging Adulthood

Longitudinal data were used to evaluate whether parental psychological control would have a negative impact on identity formation. Perceived psychological control and 4 identity dimensions (i.e., commitment making, exploration in breadth, identification with commitment, and exploration in depth) were assessed 5 times in a college sample. Associations between psychological control and identity (i.e., negative associations with both commitment dimensions and a positive association with exploration in breadth) were stable across time. Further, the developmental pathways of these constructs appeared to be correlated: Increases in psychological control were associated with simultaneous decreases in both commitment dimensions. Finally, reciprocal effects were found: Psychological control inhibited progress in both commitment dimensions, whereas exploration in breadth led to increased psychological control. The authors have provided suggestions for helping emerging adults to approach the task of identity formation.

Employment, Sense of Coherence, and Identity Formation: Contextual and Psychological Processes on the Pathway to Sense of Adulthood

The present study investigated the influence of contextual (i.e., being in college vs. being employed) and psychological (i.e., sense of coherence) processes on achieving a sense of adulthood in a sample of 317 emerging adults. Identity formation, conceptualized as multiple dimensions of exploration and of commitment, was conceived of as a mediator of these relationships. Individuals who perceive themselves as adults scored higher on commitment and lower on ruminative exploration than those who do not perceive themselves as full-fledged adults. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that the relationships of sense of coherence and attending college versus being employed to sense of adulthood were partially mediated by identity formation—and by the dimension of commitment making in particular. Being employed and scoring high on sense of coherence are directly and indirectly (through making stronger identity commitments) related to a greater sense of adulthood. Implications and suggestions for future research are outlined.

Identity in Emerging Adulthood Reviewing the Field and Looking Forward

The present article presents a review of identity status-based theory and research with adolescents and emerging adults, with some coverage of related approaches such as narrative identity and identity style. In the first section, we review Erikson’s theory of identity and early identity status research examining differences in personality and cognitive variables across statuses. We then review two contemporary identity models that extend identity status theory and explicitly frame identity development as a dynamic and iterative process. We also review work that has focused on specific domains of identity. The second section of the article discusses mental and physical health correlates of identity processes and statuses. The article concludes with recommendations for future identity research with adolescent and emerging adult populations.

Maladaptive perfectionism as an intervening variable between psychological control and adolescent depressive symptoms: A three-wave longitudinal study

Maladaptive perfectionism has been postulated as an intervening variable between psychologically controlling parenting and adolescent internalizing problems. Although this hypothesis has been confirmed in a number of cross-sectional studies, it has not yet been examined from a longitudinal perspective. Findings from this 3-wave longitudinal study show that parental psychological control (as indexed by parent and adolescent reports) at age 15 years predicted increased levels of maladaptive perfectionism 1 year later. Maladaptive perfectionism, in turn, predicted increased levels of adolescent depressive symptoms again 1 year later and acted as a significant intervening variable between parental psychological control at Time 1 and depressive symptoms at Time 3. Multigroup analyses show that the model tested was consistent across gender for paternal psychological control but not for maternal psychological control. Suggestions for future research are outlined.

The personality-identity interplay in emerging adult women : Convergent findings from complementary analyses

The present study examined whether identity development occurs in tandem with personality development in emerging adulthood. Three‐wave longitudinal data on a sample of 351 female college students were used to answer questions about stability and change, direction of effects, and interrelated developmental trajectories. Four identity dimensions (i.e. commitment making, exploration in breadth, identification with commitment, and exploration in depth) and the Big Five were assessed. Identity and personality were found to be meaningfully related at the level of both the time‐specific adjacent measures and the underlying developmental trajectories with various degrees of convergence. Cross‐lagged analyses substantiated reciprocal influences and Latent Growth Curve Modelling substantiated common developmental pathways that partially mirrored the concurrent relations. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed. Copyright

Continuity and change in glycemic control trajectories from adolescence to emerging adulthood: relationships with family climate and self-concept in type 1 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE To determine developmental classes of glycemic control in young people with type 1 diabetes throughout adolescence and emerging adulthood and assess relationships with general family climate and self-concept. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In an eight-wave longitudinal study, 72 individuals (37 females) completed questionnaires assessing family climate (at times 1–4) and self-concept (at times 1–4 and 6). Times 1–4 covered adolescence (mean ages were 14–17 years, respectively); times 5–8 covered emerging adulthood (mean ages were 21–25 years, respectively). At each time point, patients visited their physicians to determine A1C values, and questionnaires were sent to the physicians to obtain these values. Latent class growth analysis was used to identify developmental classes of glycemic control. RESULTS Latent class growth analysis favored a three-class solution, consisting of optimal control (n = 10), moderate control (n = 51), and deteriorating control (n = 11). From time 3 on and especially during emerging adulthood, mean A1C levels were substantially different among the classes. Additional ANOVAs indicated that at times 1, 2, and 4, the optimal control class was characterized by the most optimal family climate, whereas at times 3, 4, and 6, the deteriorating control class was characterized by the lowest score on positive self-concept. CONCLUSIONS From late adolescence on, a multiformity of glycemic control trajectories emerged, which became more diversified throughout emerging adulthood. Family climate and self-concept in mid-to-late adolescence served as psychosocial markers of these developmental classes.

Clarifying the Link between Parental Psychological Control and Adolescents' Depressive Symptoms: Reciprocal versus Unidirectional Models

Research has demonstrated consistent positive associations between perceived parental psychological control and adolescents’ depressive symptoms, but the direction of influence remains unclear. Using a cross-lagged longitudinal design in two samples of late (Study 1, N = 396) and middle (Study 2, N = 724) adolescents, this study compared three models, that is, a psychological control effects model, an adolescent adjustment effects model, and a reciprocal model. Structural equation modeling analyses generally favored the reciprocal model over each of the unidirectional models. The cross-lagged effects of perceived psychological control remained significant after controlling for two important parenting dimensions (i.e., parental responsiveness and behavioral control; Study 1) and were found in all types of parent-adolescent dyads except for the mother-daughter dyad (Study 2). Implications for the understanding of the mechanisms that underlie the deleterious effects of parents’ psychological control on adolescent adjustment are discussed.

Development and validation of the revised Identity Style Inventory (ISI-5): factor structure, reliability, and validity.

Identity processing style refers to differences in how individuals process identity-relevant information as they engage or manage to avoid the challenges of constructing, maintaining, and/or reconstructing a sense of identity. The third version of the Identity Style Inventory (Berzonsky, 1992b) has been used to operationally define identity styles in most empirical investigations. The objective of the present series of studies was the development and validation of a new revised measure of identity processing style: Identity Style Inventory-Version 5 (ISI-5). Initially a pool of 39 generic items was generated that highlighted the processing of identity-relevant information on content-neutral issues such as personal values, goals, problems, and the like. Three style scales were identified by Exploratory Factor Analysis: A 9-item Informational-style scale; a 9-item Normative-style scale; and a 9-item Diffuse-avoidant style scale. Confirmatory factor analysis on an independent sample indicated that this 3-factor solution provided the best fit. Results from 5 studies provided evidence for the psychometric properties of the scales. Scores on the 3 style scales demonstrated good test-retest reliability and internal consistency. Theoretically predicted correlations between the ISI-5 scale scores and performance on measures of identity status, content, and commitment, and measures of rational and automatic processing provided evidence for their convergent and discriminant validity. It is concluded that the scales should be useful for researchers interested in investigating individual differences in identity processing style. Limitations and directions for future research are considered.

Meaning in Life in Emerging Adulthood: A Person‐Oriented Approach

The present study investigated naturally occurring profiles based on two dimensions of meaning in life: Presence of Meaning and Search for Meaning. Cluster analysis was used to examine meaning-in-life profiles, and subsequent analyses identified different patterns in psychosocial functioning for each profile. A sample of 8,492 American emerging adults (72.5% women) from 30 colleges and universities completed measures on meaning in life, and positive and negative psychosocial functioning. Results provided support for five meaningful yet distinguishable profiles. A strong generalizability of the cluster solution was found across age, and partial generalizability was found across gender and ethnicity. Furthermore, the five profiles showed specific patterns in relation to positive and negative psychosocial functioning. Specifically, respondents with profiles high on Presence of Meaning showed the most adaptive psychosocial functioning, whereas respondents with profiles where meaning was largely absent showed maladaptive psychosocial functioning. The present study provided additional evidence for prior research concerning the complex relationship between Presence of Meaning and Search for Meaning, and their relation with psychosocial functioning. Our results offer a partial clarification of the nature of the Search for Meaning process by distinguishing between adaptive and maladaptive searching for meaning in life.