Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Psychology
2025. Vol. 15, no. 3, 386–402
ISSN: 2658-3607 / 2658-6010 (online)
The relationship between psychological parameters of “emerging adulthood” and life meaning orientations among students
Abstract
The search for meaning is a task of personal development at the beginning of adulthood, but little is known about on life meaning orientations in relation to psychological indicators of “emerging adulthood.” In this study has investigated the psychological parameters of emerging adulthood as predictors of meaningful life of a personality among Russian students. The sample consisted of data obtained from 410 students, aged 18 to 25 (37.9 % male). The study measured the indicators of emerging adulthood (IDEA-R) and “The Life Meaning Orientations Test.” The statistics of the Pearson’s r-test and multiple regression, and multivariate analysis of variance were used for data processing and analysis. The findings suggest that prolongation of the transition period to adulthood is associated with an increase in level of life meaning orientations. The association between the indicators of emerging adulthood and life meaning orientations such that participants who reported higher levels of personal freedom, experimentation and possibilities, and other-focus exhibited higher level of meaningful life. We have found that the resource of existential development of personality is the “experiments and opportunities,” “personal freedom,” “orientation to others,” and the barrier is a “negativity and instability.” Moreover, that participants of the females reported earlier overcoming the feeling in-between and higher levels of meaningful in life in compared with males. The research materials provide insight into the age-specific psychological mechanisms of life meaning orientations formation among emerging adults, and can be used to develop new methods of psychological interventions to development of existential sphere of students.
General Information
Keywords: personality, emerging adulthood, meaningful life directionality, life meaning orientations, meaning in life, development, social situation of development
Journal rubric: Empirical and Experimental Research
Article type: scientific article
Received 16.09.2024
Accepted
Published
For citation: Klementyeva, M.V. (2025). The relationship between psychological parameters of “emerging adulthood” and life meaning orientations among students. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Psychology, 15(3), 386–402. (In Russ.). URL: https://psyjournals.ru/en/journals/vspu_psychology/archive/2025_n3/Klementyeva (viewed: 16.02.2026)
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