Identity and Purpose as Predictors of Subjective Well-Being in Emerging Adulthood

Identity and purpose in life can serve as internal assets during the transition to adulthood. Although these two facets of the self are closely linked, they are usually studied separately. The rare research that has considered identity and purpose together has focused exclusively on commitment in these domains, neglecting the process of exploration that often precedes commitment. The current study built on existing work by investigating identity and purpose as simultaneous predictors of subjective well-being in a sample of emerging adults (N = 850, Mage = 19.96) and examining both commitment and exploration processes. In a structural equation model, purpose commitment emerged as the strongest predictor of well-being, significantly predicting greater life satisfaction and positive affect and lower negative affect. Findings are discussed with respect to strategies for promoting identity and purpose development during the transition to adulthood.