Reconsideration of commitment in relational identity during the transition to adulthood

The aim of this search was the exploration of the reconsideration of commitment (Meeus, 2001; Crocetti, Rubini, Meeus, 2007) processes during the transition from school to university, assuming that new developmental step (emerging adulthood, Arnett, 2004) improves a reconfiguration of self-other system and not separation-individuation only (Kroger & Haslett, 1988). The central issue concern the reconfiguration of the relational self during a processual change that imply the redefinition of the significant other and the redefinition of identity. Previous study (Aleni Sestito, 2007) have underlined that self-esteem, and in particular the global self- worth, (Harter,1988) is meaningfully influenced by the self-other comparison and, more specifically, by independent/interdependent perspective (Markus e Kitayama, 1991, 1994) and support perceived by peers and adults (Harter, 1985, 1990; Aleni Sestito, Cozzolino, Menna, Ragozini, Sica, 2007). In this research we have investigated the role of the transition phase (transition1= last year of school; transition2 = second year of university) on identity status and reciprocal relations between personal (self-esteem) and interpersonal factors (dependence/interdependence) in identity definition.