Identity Uncertainty, Communication, and Subjective Well-being during the Transition to College
Open Access
- Author:
- Goodwin, Amanda
- Graduate Program:
- Communication Arts and Sciences
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- June 22, 2009
- Committee Members:
- Denise Haunani Solomon, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Denise Haunani Solomon, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Jon F Nussbaum, Committee Member
Michelle E Day, Committee Member
Mary Beth Oliver, Committee Member - Keywords:
- identity
friendship
college students
interpersonal communication
well-being - Abstract:
- This dissertation was founded on the assumption that identity uncertainty negatively affects people’s subjective well-being, and that communication may impact the experience of identity uncertainty. Chapter 1 reviewed literature on theories of identity and explored how communication shapes identity. Chapter 2 explored the developmental aspect of identity, especially during the period of emerging adulthood. This chapter advanced identity uncertainty as a construct that encompasses the doubts and questions people have about their self concept, which may be especially prominent during emerging adulthood. Chapter 3 described how friendships are formed and maintained, as well as the unique role that friends play during emerging adulthood. Then, hypotheses were advanced that specified the associations between identity uncertainty and subjective well-being, and communication and identity uncertainty. A pilot study exploring the construct and measurement of identity uncertainty is described in Chapter 4. A longitudinal study spanning the course of a semester was conducted. Participants completed 2 online surveys and a series of online diary-like surveys. Specifically, results from the pilot study indicate that the identity uncertainty measure has construct validity and discriminant validity. The results also suggest a negative relationship between identity uncertainty and subjective well-being, and that communication may reduce identity uncertainty. Chapter 5 described the methods of the main study, which involved 3 online surveys and a diary-like survey conducted over the course of a semester. Measures for the online surveys included identity uncertainty, subjective well-being, contingencies of self-worth, willingness to self-disclose, and tolerance for uncertainty. For the diary survey, participants were asked to describe conversations about identity uncertainty. Chapter 6 presents the results of the main study. A series of correlations, regression analyses, and HLM analyses were used to test the hypotheses. First, I tested the association between identity uncertainty and subjective well-being. Results indicated an overall negative association between the variables. Next, I tested the affect of contingencies of self-worth on the association. The relationship between identity uncertainty and subjective well-being was more negative when people’s self-worth about a facet of identity was tied to that facet. Finally, I explored the association between communication and identity uncertainty. Willingness to self-disclose and identity uncertainty were negatively related, and tolerance for uncertainty did not moderate that association. Finally, Chapter 7 discusses the implications of the pilot and main studies for understanding identity uncertainty, subjective well-being, and communication. The chapter explores the practical applications of the finding for students during the transition to college. Finally, the chapter concludes by examining the strengths and weaknesses of the dissertation.