ABSTRACT
Extending the Chapter 1 discussion of Margaret Beale Spencer’s person-context sensitive theory of identity development (Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory; PVEST) and Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development), Chapter 3 delves into literature that considers the linkage between identity development and context. Specifically, by highlighting the pursuit of education as a distinctly human endeavor permits engagement of the human developmental considerations regarding the impact of shocks on diverse young adult identity development. Urie Bronfenbrenner’s (1986) systems-based theory of development (Ecological Systems Theory) and Glen Elder’s (1999) foundational work in life course study and the role of shocks contribute to a more robust consideration of the role of psychosocial developmental contexts. The literature review also explores varying definitions of young adulthood as a theoretical construct. From sociological insights on generational theory to biologically motivated definitions to culturally specific notions of emerging adulthood (see American Psychological Association, 2002; American Academy of Pediatrics, 1988; Arnett, 2015), the rationale is posed for linking postsecondary education as a critical site of identity-development tasks associated with diverse young adults’ advancing autonomy and maturity.
