The present research in progress aims to explore the relationship between prosocial behaviors, ecological/climate emotions, and resilience in emerging adulthood. Given the unique developmental characteristics of the period (identity explorations, feeling in-between adolescence and adulthood, increased self-focus, instability, sense of broad possibilities for the future), emerging adults frequently exhibit heightened awareness of environmental, among other societal and global challenges. Therefore, understanding how they perceive and react to environmental changes is crucial. Yet, ecological/climate emotions such as eco-anger, eco-grief/sadness, eco-guilt or eco-anxiety as psycho-emotional reactions, remain conceptually unclear and under-researched in both the international and Greek contexts. A key focus of the present study is to assess the levels of ecological/climate anxiety, and the ways it may be related to prosocial behavioural tendencies and resilience. Besides the above, in our study, we take a step further, adding key self-conscious emotions (shame, guilt, pride), related affective reactions (externalization of blame, detachment/unconcern), as well as empathy facets (cognitive and affective) to the set of psycho-emotional reactions studied in relation to environmental crises. The role of social gender is also explored, given suggestions for context-bound and gender-specific socialization effects on emotion and prosociality, which extend to the emerging adulthood period. Participants (18- to 25-year-olds) were given a questionnaire battery, including measures of ecological/climate anxiety and self-conscious emotions, prosocial behavioural tendencies, and affective and cognitive empathy. Data collection is ongoing. The results will be discussed in relation to the limited existing literature, emphasizing the importance of holistic, contextual approaches to the exploration of ecological/climate emotions and their relations to prosociality and resilience. Discussion will also focus on the implications of this line of research in the empirical and applied fields, including interventions and support systems tailored to the psychological characteristics of emerging adults.

Background:

Emerging Adulthood is accompanied by uncertainties and instabilities, yet emerging adults face the challenge of making biographically formative decisions. The base of this study is an actional perspective on development, in which people are seen as co-producers of their own development. This ties into the questions which developmental goals people choose, and which protection and risk factors occur and are relevant for the goal pursuit process and the further development.

Method:

People aged from 18 to 29 (n=179;M=23.66(SD=2.67)) were surveyed using an online questionnaire. As part of this, (1)the most important developmental goal, (2)the greatest difficulties and (3)motivating factors of goal pursuit were polled using an open question format. Each result was transferred into reliable categories(κ=.81-.98). In addition, the importance and the investment (0-100 in each case) in relation to the stated developmental goal and the well-being (WHO-5;Brähler et al., 2007) were examined. Descriptive analyses were carried out and the domains were ranked according to the frequency they were mentioned in. U-tests were used for pairwise comparisons.

Results:

Goals relating to domains work/education(n=99,55.3%) and personal-growth(n=35.19.6%) were mentioned most frequently. A domain-specific analysis shows a high attribution of importance across the board (work/education:M=87.80(SD=17.15);personal-growth:M=94.40(SD=9.65),U=1460.50,Z=-1.61,p=.107). The investment differs greatly in the domains (work/education:M=80.70(SD=16.38);personal-growth M=57.66(SD=20.17);U=702.50,Z=-5.32,p<.001). The greatest difficulties are caused by resources sacarcity(n=37,20.7%) and internal motivational problems(n=36,20.1%). The most significant motivation is the focus on the external goal states. The sample shows poor well-being (WHO-5:M=12.63,SD=5.10;cut-off value:<13;n=84,46.9%).

Discussion:

The combination of highly addressed importance and simultaneous difficulties due to external lack of resources and internal attribution underlines this challenge. This challenge is also documented in the low level of well-being, which indicates the need for developmental support in Emerging Adulthood. Interventions can address the stated internal motivation problems through targeted training and support functional accommodation of the target states to the given resource situation.

Resilience emphasizes the significance of both internal and external resources in fostering positive development. International students encounter unique developmental challenges compared to host-country peers. During the migration process, these students strive to blend their cultural heritage with that of their new environment. Successfully navigating these developmental tasks contributes to their personal growth and enhances their resilience as migrants. By adopting a socio-ecological resilience perspective, we examined how resilience assets and the formation of a multicultural identity interact to potentially lead to improved overall well-being for international students over time.

Data were gathered from 190 international students (mean age = 23.18, SD = 0.27) from 53 countries residing in Türkiye for an average of 5.33 years (SD = 0.22). A two-wave cross-lagged panel model was employed to analyze the causal relationships among resilience assets (socio-ecological resilience and ruggedness), multicultural identity configurations (mainstream culture categorization, heritage culture categorization, compartmentalization, and integration), and well-being (life satisfaction and psychological well-being). The cross-lagged analyses indicated that socio-ecological resilience at Time 1 positively predicted mainstream culture categorization at Time 2. Furthermore, mainstream culture categorization at Time 1 predicted life satisfaction and psychological well-being at Time 2, even after accounting for autoregressive effects. The mediating effect of mainstream culture categorization between socio-ecological resilience and well-being was statistically significant. However, ruggedness did not predict multicultural identity configurations but had a direct positive influence on psychological well-being.

These findings suggest that resilience resources linked to an individual’s socio-ecological environment play a crucial role in strengthening one’s identity with the host culture. This, in turn, fosters higher levels of life satisfaction and psychological well-being over time. The results highlight the necessity of integrating socio-ecological and developmental perspectives when offering self-related resources to improve the international students’ well-being.

* This conference participation was supported by TÜBİTAK 2224-A Grant Program.

Background:

Subjective concepts of development have an action-guiding function and build the foundation for the perception, planning and decision-making of development-relating actions.

This study analyses subjective conceptions of development and their relation to scientific theories of development.

In particular, the importance of problem-solving (PS) competence for development is analysed and evaluated in terms of its relevance to the characteristics of other subjective development concepts and divergent development orientations.

Methods:

N= 148 students (age:M=21.86,SD=4.35) completed a questionnaire containing 50 statements related to development.

The statements represent central aspects of scientific development theories and are evaluated according to their personal relevance. The subjective development orientation is analysed using descriptive statistics.

To examine the role of PS, the sample was divided into two groups: those who considered PS to be relevant for development (PS+) and those who did not (PS-). Profiles of developmental orientations were created for both groups based on the 50 statements and compared using Man-Whitney-U-Tests.

Results:

In general, both the personal environment, such as family (95.9%) and friends (98%), and the external environment, including school (93.8%) and the media (99.3%), are considered as relevant for development. Conversely, biologistic approaches, including determination by disposition (40.7%), and statements emphasising passivity, such as predetermined by fate (19.3%), are regarded with less approval.

The two PS-groups have different perceptions of the importance attached to: negative events (PS+:83.1%vs.PS-:61.7%,U=1823.50,Z=-3.30,p<.001) and the disposition-environment relationship (PS+:47%vs.PS-:31%,U=1929.50,Z=-2.52,p=.012); role of actionality (e.g. future-planing (PS+:64.3%vs.PS-:50%,U=19 57.5,Z=-2.35,p=.019), etc..

Discussion:

The student's subjective concepts are largely consistent with assumptions of developmental theories that emphasise an action-oriented understanding of development and acknowledge the significance of exogenous influences. In contrast, deterministic/endogenous approaches tend tob e rejected.

In cases where PS is of importance, a more action-oriented and coping-oriented understanding of development becomes evident. This, in turn, serves to reinforce the implementation of conscious development control.

The current study explores the impact of tragic sibling death on young adults using a phenomenological approach. This focus is important considering the limitations in current research, particularly the scarcity of qualitative studies that provide an in-depth understanding of the particular lived experience and the meaning behind the experience of tragic sibling loss on young adults.

The sample included 14 Israeli young adults who lost a sibling in the military or in a terror attack during the past 10 years. Participants were recruited through snow-ball sampling and social media posts. The participants were interviewed in Hebrew, face-to-face, at our psychology lab, in quiet areas of local coffee shops, or at the participant's homes. Participants were interviewed using semi-structured questions about various aspects of their experience as someone who lost a sibling.

Results were analyzed using the phenomenological method (Denzin & Lincoln, 1994; Spinelli, 1989). Textural themes emanating from the content of the interviews included (1) strength and living a better life than before, (2) lack of awareness to the difficulty siblings experience, (3) appreciation and strengthening relationship with remaining siblings, (4) changes in the parental relationship, (5) the daily and sudden struggle, and (6) mixed emotions about continuing with life.

The exploration of sibling bereavement through a phenomenological approach reveals the complexity of grief, particularly for young adults who lost a sibling in tragic circumstances.