The Role of Career Aspiration, Self-Esteem, Body Esteem, and Gender in Predicting Sense of Well-being Among Emerging Adults

Abstract

During emerging adulthood, one’s sense of well-being undergoes many rapid changes. Although emerging adults often present considerable energy, creativity, and hopefulness, both in higher education classrooms and workplaces, they often experience a decrease in well-being due to experience confusion, stress encounters, and difficulties in transitioning to adulthood. The authors examined four noteworthy key socioemotional factors that may be linked to emerging adults' sense of well-being: career aspiration, self-esteem, body esteem, and gender. Three hundred 20- to 29-year-old university students participated in the study. Results showed that well-being was correlated positively with self-esteem and body esteem, and body esteem was correlated negatively with gender (men scored higher). Regression analyses revealed that for both men and women, self-esteem and body esteem predicted well-being. Nevertheless, when the gender was analyzed separately, career aspiration predicted well-being only for men, whereas body esteem predicted well-being only for women. The study findings illuminates the importance of generating preventive measures in childhood and adolescence, through reinforcing skills such as resilience and self-esteem with the aim of passing through emerging adulthood with as little harm as possible to the sense of well-being.

Keywords:

• Emerging adults
• well-being
• career aspiration
• self-esteem
• body esteem
• gender

Acknowledgments

This study was conducted in the framework of COST European Union (Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action: IS1210: Appearance Matters (Research working Group 2). Group partners: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Israel, Ireland, Malta and Portugal.