Testing exploratory narrative processing as a mechanism of change in identity status processes over 4 years in college-going emerging adults.

We examined the critical task of emerging adulthood-identity development-via analyses of trajectories of identity exploration and commitment over the college years, as well as whether narrative processing of important events during this period served as a mechanism of identity exploration and commitment. We took advantage of a unique and comprehensive longitudinal design, which included 12 waves of data, both quantitative and qualitative assessments, collected over 4 years, on two distinct college campuses in the Northwestern and Northeastern regions of the United States (Wave 1, n = 639; growth models using all waves, n = 251). Analyses for this study were preregistered after data collection was complete. We first examined trajectories of exploration and commitment via the dual-cycle identity model. Second, we examined whether exploratory processing in the narration of future self-defining memories at specific waves predicted changes in exploration and commitment in subsequent waves. Findings indicated that exploration and commitment showed trajectories typically viewed as normative (e.g., increasing adaptive forms of exploration and commitment), although trajectories for those at higher socioeconomic statuses differed by showing more exploration and less commitment. We failed to find evidence that exploratory processing predicted changes in exploration and commitment. Implications include distinctions in measurement and theoretical approaches to the study of identity development, the need for greater understanding of what is developing before theorizing how it develops, and the limitations of what is considered normative without attention to structural constraints, such as social class. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Intergenerational Storytelling as a Developmental Resource in LGBTQ+ Communities.

LGBTQ+ people continue to be threatened by systemic censorship and erasure in public spaces and discourses, making community-based resources for positive development crucial. In this study, we examined one such developmental resource-LGBTQ+ intergenerational storytelling about cultural-historical events. LGBTQ+ adults (N = 495) ranging in age from 17 to 80 years (M = 39.22, SD = 19.89) responded to an online survey about LGBTQ+ intergenerational storytelling and relationships. Results showed that although LGBTQ+ intergenerational storytelling was reported to occur infrequently, sharing stories across generations was considered important, and LGBTQ+ people desired even greater intergenerational connection. Intergenerational narratives reported by participants were primarily about cultural-historical events involving adversity and oppression (e.g. AIDS crisis), policy and legislation (e.g. marriage equality), and protest, resistance, and activism (e.g. Stonewall uprising). Stories were mostly told by older friends in private or social settings for the purpose of passing on LGBTQ+ history. Lessons learned through storytelling were diverse but tended to focus on appreciation and affirmation. Valuing intergenerational storytelling was associated with positive psychosocial identity. This study suggests that intergenerational storytelling may be an important developmental resource for LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized communities.