Identity Styles and Wisdom During Emerging Adulthood: Relationships with Mindfulness and Savoring

Abstract

Erikson's (1968) supposition about the importance of mature identity for wisdom was examined by testing the hypothesis that informational identity processing is uniquely associated with wisdom and with related positive subjective experiences (mindfulness and savoring). Emerging adults (N = 320; 68.5% women; age range = 18–29 years) completed self-report measures of: identity styles (informational, normative, diffuse), identity commitment, wisdom (cognitive, reflective, affective), mindfulness, savoring beliefs, and savoring behaviors. The informational style was positively related to wisdom, mindfulness, and savoring beliefs as well as to several savoring behaviors (e.g., absorption and counting blessings). The highest levels of informational identity processing, identity commitment, mindfulness, and savoring beliefs were found for individuals who scored in the top quartile on wisdom. Finally, structural equation modeling was used to examine linear relationships among these variables and revealed that the informational style positively predicted wisdom, which positively predicted mindfulness and savoring beliefs.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research was supported by a grant from the University of Northern British Columbia. The author thanks Cherisse Seaton for assistance with various phases of the research.

Notes

Note. N = 101 men, 219 women.

*p < .002 (Bonferroni adjustment).

N = 320; *p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001.

¹This upper 25th percentile cutoff score for high wisdom scorers is slightly lower than the cutoff score (3.88) found in Ardelt's (2009) study. However, her higher cutoff score might be accounted for by the inclusion of older adults (52 years and older).

Note. Within each row, means with different subscripts are significantly different at p < .05.

*p < .008 (Bonferroni adjustment).