The Struggle to Find Meaning: A Mixed Methodology Study on Meaning-Making and Identity

Recent reviews underscored the need for a better link between different identity models in order to enhance our knowledge of identity development. In the present study, we used a mixed methodology design to investigate how the integration of process-oriented and narrative life-story approaches can be used to better understand the complexity of identity pursuits. Participants were 84 Romanian emerging adults (Mage= 23.24 years; SDage= 2.11 years, 72.6% female, 71.4% university students). Results showed significant differences in identity processes among emerging adults based on their levels of meaning-making. More specifically, in a stressful situation of disengaging from a personal important goal, emerging adults who derived more complex forms of meaning-making reported higher levels of ruminative exploration and lower levels of commitment making. By integrating these approaches of identity, the study nuances how meaning-making might be related to identity processes.