Vocational Identity of Emerging Adults: The Inter-Relationships of Vocational Identity Dimensions

Vocational identity develops through the complex and dynamic interactions of the subdimensions of identity. A four-wave longitudinal study was conducted to investigate how each subdimension (in-breadth exploration, in-depth exploration, commitment-making, identification with commitment, career flexibility, career self-doubt) of each of the three processes of vocational identity (exploration, commitment, reconsideration) interacts across time during the emerging adulthood. The participants were full-time college students in South Korea—248 at T1, 194 at T2, 159 at T3, and 115 at T4. They rated the Vocational Identity Status Assessment four times at 6-month intervals. The results of the autoregressive cross-lagged path analysis indicated that an increase in in-breadth exploration led to a decrease in career self-doubt, which subsequently led to an increase in the subdimensions of commitment. These findings suggest a specific short-term interaction pattern for the relationship between the subdimensions of vocational identity, known only as a complex interaction. Implications, limitations, and directions for future studies are also discussed.