We like to think that there’s more to life than work – yet, when we meet new people, we often ask them what they do for a living. Indeed, work can shape our personal identity, especially among those who are just starting out in the professional world.
At least, so suggest researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University: in a paper recently published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, they report that people especially identify with their work when they’re in their 20s.
This was demonstrated by conducting a longitudinal study involving 875 people in Japan with an average age of 24.74 at the start of the research. Between 2015 and 2019, the academics tracked the identity development of these volunteers, who were divided into five groups according to their employment status (full-time, part-time, unemployed, and so on).
Their aim was to see if their professional situation played a role in the construction of their identity during this period. And it turns out it did: young adults whose working lives changed abruptly – for example, from full-time to part-time, or owing to job loss – were more likely to have their self-image affected by the change in situation and experience an identity crisis.
Conversely, adults in their 20s who were more stable in their careers had less difficulty building their adult identity, which contributed to their personal wellbeing, regardless of their profession.
The findings indicate that personal identity is closely linked to professional stability in young adults. “While identity has traditionally been considered a central issue during adolescence, our study is the first to show that it remains a crucial element supporting wellbeing in adulthood,” said Kai Hatano, associate professor at Osaka Metropolitan University and lead author of the study.
Public authorities should, therefore, make the professional integration of young people a priority. After all, many people in their 20s are struggling to find stable employment, even if graduates tend to fare better than others depending on the level and specialisation of their training.
And although it can be difficult to build your self-image when you’re professionally unstable, perhaps it’s time to take a step back and refocus on the other aspects of our lives that make us who we are.