The mediating role of personal agency in the relationship between parental attachment and ego identity in emerging adulthood

Emerging adulthood as a distinct developmental stage emphasizes on the age range of 18 to 29 years. According to Arnett (2000), this developmental stage only occurs in industrialized countries, but accomplished researches have shown that emerging adulthood also exists in other cultures. According to importance of identity and personal agency and lack of sufficient knowledge of the aspects of this stage in Iran, the purpose of present study is to determine the mediating role of personal agency on the relationship between parental attachment and ego identity in emerging adulthood. In this study, the participants (N=540) were students from one of the universities of Tehran, between 18 to 29. They completed a survey consisted of: IDEA (The Inventory of the Dimensions of Emerging Adulthood), ECR-RS (The Experience in Close Relationships-Relational Structures), Personal Agency and EIPQ (Ego Identity Process Questionnaire). The results of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) showed that attachment to parents has a direct and significant effect on personal agency and personal agency has a direct effect on ego identity, and also attachment to parents has indirect effect on ego identity. Consequently, the mediating role of personal agency in relationship between parental attachment and ego identity was confirmed. The model of father and mother has analyzed separately; the results showed that the father attachment had a greater effect on emerging adults’ personal agency.