test Interpersonal relationships and academic experiences in emerging adulthood: An exploration of challenges and resources|Homo Virtualis

Interpersonal relationships and academic experiences in emerging adulthood: An exploration of challenges and resources

PDF (English)
Publicado: Νοε 25, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/homvir.43496
Eftihia Nika
Department of Psychology, Panteion University
https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0991-6742
Resumen

The aim of this study is to examine the developmental stage of emerging adulthood through the eyes of the participants, with an emphasis on their lived experience in academia. For this purpose, it employs a phenomenological qualitative inquiry through creative multimodal methods. The focus of the study is on the psychosocial effects, difficulties, and resources that characterize this period, from the perspective of interpersonal relationships and academic experiences. By combining appreciative inquiry with semi-structured multimodal interviews, participants (10 individuals aged 20–25) were given the opportunity to share the feelings and experiences they go through, and to express how these affect their everyday lives. The results indicate that emerging adults are in search of their identity and are constantly reshaping their personality. This process creates tensions and double binds, and clearly influences their close interpersonal relationships. They begin to better understand those around them, and to handle the difficulties they face with a more optimistic attitude. However, it also appears that young people, despite their strong pursuit of independence and autonomy, continue to prioritize their close interpersonal relationships and wish to keep them alive. The academic environment also plays an important role in their lives, providing them with essential resources for the future. Further research and inquiry are proposed regarding the role of the academic context in young people’s lives, as it constitutes a crucial part of their personal life and exposes them to new challenges.

Article Details
  • Sección
  • Articles
Creative Commons License

Esta obra está bajo una licencia internacional Creative Commons Atribución 4.0.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

· Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

· Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g. post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

· Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (preferably in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.

Descargas
Los datos de descargas todavía no están disponibles.
Citas
Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55(5), 469–480. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.5.469
Arnett, J. J. (2006). The Psychology of Emerging Adulthood: What Is Known, and What Remains to Be Known? In J. J. Arnett & J. L. Tanner (Eds.), Emerging adults in America: Coming of age in the 21st century. (pp. 303–330). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/11381-013
Arnett, J. J. (2016). College Students as Emerging Adults: The Developmental Implications of the College Context. Emerging Adulthood, 4(3), 219–222. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696815587422
Arnett, J. J. (2024). Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens Through the Twenties (3rd ed.). Oxford University PressNew York. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197695937.001.0001
Arnett, J. J., Žukauskienė, R., & Sugimura, K. (2014). The new life stage of emerging adulthood at ages 18–29 years: Implications for mental health. The Lancet Psychiatry, 1(7), 569–576. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(14)00080-7
Barry, C. M., Madsen, S. D., Nelson, L. J., Carroll, J. S., & Badger, S. (2009). Friendship and Romantic Relationship Qualities in Emerging Adulthood: Differential Associations with Identity Development and Achieved Adulthood Criteria. Journal of Adult Development, 16(4), 209–222. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-009-9067-x
Bowlby, J. (1979). The Bowlby-Ainsworth attachment theory. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2(4), 637–638. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X00064955
Brailas, A. (2020). Using Drawings in Qualitative Interviews: An Introduction to the Practice. The Qualitative Report. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2020.4585
Brailas, A. (2025). The appreciative qualitative interview: A research method for empowering people. Methodology, 21(1), 74–90. https://doi.org/10.5964/meth.15421
Brailas, A., Tragou, E., & Papachristopoulos, K. (2023). Introduction to Qualitative Data Analysis and Coding with QualCoder. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 7(3), 19–31. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13230
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Burr, V. (2015). Social constructionism (3. ed). Routledge.
Cooperrider, D. L., Cooperrider, D. L., & Srivastva, S. (2013). A Contemporary Commentary on Appreciative Inquiry in Organizational Life. In D. L. Cooperrider, D. P. Zandee, L. N. Godwin, M. Avital, & B. Boland (Eds.), Advances in Appreciative Inquiry (Vol. 4, pp. 3–67). Emerald Group Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1475-9152(2013)0000004001
Hojjat, M., & Moyer, A. (2017). The psychology of friendship. Oxford university press.
Issari, P., & Pourkos, M. (2016). Ποιοτική μεθοδολογία έρευνας. 200. https://doi.org/10.57713/KALLIPOS-473
Kazdin, A. E. (Ed.). (2016). Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. In Methodological issues and strategies in clinical research (4th ed.). (pp. 495–512). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14805-030
McNamara Barry, C., Madsen, S. D., & DeGrace, A. (2014). Growing Up with a Little Help from their Friends in Emerging Adulthood (J. J. Arnett, Ed.; Vol. 1). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199795574.013.008
Milevsky, A., & Heerwagen, M. (2013). A Phenomenological Examination of Sibling Relationships in Emerging Adulthood. Marriage & Family Review, 49(3), 251–263. https://doi.org/10.1080/01494929.2012.762444
Portner, L. C., & Riggs, S. A. (2016). Sibling Relationships in Emerging Adulthood: Associations with Parent–Child Relationship. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 25(6), 1755–1764. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-015-0358-5
Raikou, D. N. (n.d.). REDEFINING ADULTHOOD: STUDENTS’ EMERGING ADULTHOOD AND THE ROLE OF.
Raikou, N. (2022). Emerging Adulthood and University students: The case of an Educational Greek Department.
Scharf, M., Shulman, S., & Avigad-Spitz, L. (2005). Sibling Relationships in Emerging Adulthood and in Adolescence. Journal of Adolescent Research, 20(1), 64–90. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558404271133
Steinberg, L., & Silverberg, S. B. (1986). The Vicissitudes of Autonomy in Early Adolescence. Child Development, 57(4), 841. https://doi.org/10.2307/1130361
Van Dulmen, M. H. M., Claxton, S. E., Collins, W. A., & Simpson, J. A. (2014). Work and Love Among Emerging Adults: Current Status and Future Directions. Emerging Adulthood, 2(1), 59–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696813516092
Willig, C. (2012). Perspectives on the epistemological bases for qualitative research. In H. Cooper, P. M. Camic, D. L. Long, A. T. Panter, D. Rindskopf, & K. J. Sher (Eds.), APA handbook of research methods in psychology, Vol 1: Foundations, planning, measures, and psychometrics. (pp. 5–21). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/13619-002
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Madsen, S. D., & Hanisch, M. (2011). Connecting the intrapersonal to the interpersonal: Autonomy, voice, parents, and romantic relationships in emerging adulthood. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 8(5), 509–525. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2011.567061
Μπράιλας, Α., Παπαχριστόπουλος, Κ., & Τράγου, Έ. (2023). Εισαγωγή στην ποιοτική ανάλυση δεδομένων με το λογισμικό Taguette: Ζητήματα εγκυρότητας και αξιοπιστίας στην ποιοτική έρευνα. Ανοικτή Εκπαίδευση: Το Περιοδικό Για Την Ανοικτή Και Εξ Αποστάσεως Εκπαίδευση Και Την Εκπαιδευτική Τεχνολογία, 19(1), 29–54. https://doi.org/10.12681/jode.26960