Daniel Polanco

Professor Seeley-Sherwood

ENG170

15 October 2021

An Endless Chase After Identity and Happiness

Have you ever wondered what you would do if you didn’t attend university? Shortly after graduating high school, maybe you were presented with a few options. Find a job in the same town you’ve grown accustomed to for years, join the military, or go to college. However, while attending college, you’ve probably heard the phrases “No one knows what they’re doing” or “it’s okay to not know.” It appears young adults struggle to develop an identity when it’s the most important aspect of their lives now, even though a primary aspect of early adulthood is finding your own identity to explore. At the same time, a sense of identity in young adulthood can be seen as being satisfied with oneself. While some people know what they want to commit their lives to from day one, other people struggle to conclude what their life will become. What can we do as a society to help the youth become the people they dream to be?

There are countless experiences we come across in life, and each experience is what makes us unique as human beings. The problem is when the topic of identity and independence evolves into an issue because of the environment or people involved. In this case, education could be the specific experience vital to identity. All humans become educated through school or daily experiences. However, many believe the most influential of all forms of education is higher education. Not just because of its importance in completing a career path, but of its importance in developing a young adult’s identity. While attending university, someone may realize that they need to adjust to the world outside of their own. Today, it seems as though it’s important to keep a plan for your future, even if you don’t know what to do or are simply following the majority. Chad Hanson states that, “the transition to college, especially when a child leaves home, is clearly a stage of separation that spawns anxiety over the uncertainty of the new experience, that is, college” (Hanson, 86). In the case of conflicts regarding youth identity, flinging a child into a situation of young adulthood without any transition or precursor to adjust them, can be a lot of pressure to put on someone at such a young age. These environments can make someone feel lesser than or can create the feeling that they aren’t cared for because of this new, and possibly overwhelming environment that has been thrust upon them.

There are also many other factors that may change because of identity development among adolescence. Madelynn Shell from the Psy Chi Journal of Psychological Research defines identity development as “the process by which adolescents and emerging adults search for answers to fundamental questions that surround who they are, including their political and religious views, career choices, and future achievement.” Growing older is about learning who you want to be, while simultaneously adjusting to the larger world. In the subject of university and education, working towards a future goal and options regarding occupations are the most important to understand when discussing the topic of identity development especially in young adults transitioning into adulthood. According to the psychological journal mentioned above, the adjustment between high school and higher education can cause changes between romantic and platonic relationships, as well as educational shifts. (Shell, et al.). The transitional period in a young adult person’s life can lead a lot of things that were previously familiar to become new and generally frightening when all these new and different circumstances begin surround someone.

The general idea in society regarding education is to go through elementary school, graduate high school, go to college, and use whatever degree you earned to get a job or a career and grow old with a family. While that may be a noble and honest living, it may not be satisfactory for everyone. Some people may struggle to develop into the life they may genuinely want for many reasons. Whether it be financial status, ethnic background, or simply personal preference. In the case of ethnic background, immigrant college students have a drastically different experience regarding college and identity than other more stable societal groups. Especially in the United States, immigrants, and families related to immigrants are left at a disadvantage because of their background. In a study conducted by Lauren Ellis regarding identity development among undocumented immigrants, it mentions how even if all the undocumented immigrants in the country were able to gain temporary citizenship, the long-term struggles would remain the same. (Ellis & Chen). This pattern of identity crises among immigrants and college youth can be casually overlooked. Additionally, this dilemma could make immigrants, college youth, and young adults feel insignificant and suggests that the issue is deeply ingrained in society. As a society, immigrants are discriminated against and generally looked down upon. Americans have built biases towards immigrants, people of color, and many other different groups of people which in turn, affects their children and families. These same biases can build pressure among the children of immigrants that they carry with them into adulthood.

In the media, college is shown to be the best time of a young adult’s life. Making new relationships, both romantic and platonic, attending parties, and much more. However, not everyone can share the same positive experiences in college. In reality, college consists of tons of homework assignments, stress, and grades that can fall and in turn, make your GPA decrease as well. In most cases, people can adapt. Eventually obtaining their diploma and working their way up the socio-economic ladder in the world. On the opposite side of the spectrum, people may struggle to balance their multiple responsibilities in their young adult life, such as work, and relationships. They lose the motivation to participate or to even continue university and, in some cases, drop out. Financial instability is another large factor to dropping out. Angela McGlynn states, “24% of students actually charge tuition on credit cards; 71% are charging books and food. With 10% of these students unable to make even minimum monthly payments, this is the leading cause of dropping out of college” (McGlynn). Higher education is drastically different than what young adults have experienced before in their lives. Combining that with the stress of modern day living, education, and financial intelligence can lead to dropping out. College isn’t needed in life to succeed either. There are many people who have benefitted from either not completing college or not attending college to begin with. Celebrities like Tyler, the Creator and even some people’s parents have benefitted from veering off the common societal path. So, to say that you must attend college to be successful and get a career would just be false.

While college could be a doorway leading to happiness and satisfaction with oneself later in life, it may be hard to determine whether someone would be happy in the distant future based on their current decisions. At the end of the day, we’re all just trying to be happy. Maybe college can provide the satisfaction we long for. Or maybe we’re willing to endure the struggles that college holds to experience happiness and satisfaction in the long term. Ultimately, that’s like asking someone what the meaning of life is. No human could possibly answer either question because we don’t know the answer. Happiness is something many people chase but isn’t a guarantee. Have you ever walked down the street and noticed the people who seem to be more successful don’t look as satisfied as people who are bordering the poverty line? Why is that? Could it be because these people refuse to conform to societal norms, leading them to mature into a content person? Or could it be that they’re grateful to be simply living? Anthony Armstrong explains, “higher education is inflicted with greater ambiguity and dispersal of purpose than primary and secondary education. Whether as ends or means, students are the clear focus during the earlier years of schooling” (Armstrong). College students are left to their own devices and while that may be helpful, it can be seen as uncertainty towards the future. If you think about it, in elementary, middle, and high school, the classes are smaller, teachers interact with the students on a face-to-face level, and everyone knows everyone. In college, class attendance exceeds the 100s in most lecture classes, or in today’s age, lectures may be given through the computer in the form of Zoom calls. Although, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing, rather, a large jump forward than what students were previously accustomed to. Additionally, referring to Armstrong, students were the primary focal point in their high school educations, while in college, they may be one random face among thousands.

Identity development in young adult college students is obviously a large issue that hasn’t been addressed widely in society. College is viewed as an opportunity to grow and discover who you want to be, but beneath that lie young adults who are unsure of themselves, their future, and their education. In the media, college is seen as a time for fun theatrics and foolish mischief. While the efforts to change that may seem pointless, it doesn’t have to be. In order to fix the problems that plague universities and their students, first we must address them. The problem of extreme adjustments to the college environment. The problem of finances and how students deal with them in college. The problem of being affected by your racial or ethnic background and taking that to college with you. Most importantly, the pressure from society. To follow the path that college may or may not take you. The path that was paved by previous family members, and the path that may or may not lead you to be successful, happy, and thriving later in your life. We as a society have a duty to lead youth to avoid mistakes made in our past and help them avoid mistakes in their future. While there are many factors that may contribute to this issue, addressing it would be the primary step to resolving it.
Works Cited

Armstrong, Anthony. Educating Angels : Teaching for the Pursuit of Happiness / Anthony Armstrong. First edition., Parkhurst Brothers Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. Accessed 12 October 2021.

Ellis, Lauren M., and Eric C. Chen. “Negotiating Identity Development Among Undocumented Immigrant College Students: A Grounded Theory Study.” Journal of Counseling Psychology, vol. 60, no. 2, American Psychological Association, 2013, pp. 251–64, doi:10.1037/a0031350. Accessed 12 October 2021.

Hanson, Chad. In Search of Self : Exploring Student Identity Development. Jossey-Bass, 2014.

McGlynn, A. P. (2006). College on Credit Has Kids Dropping Out. Education Digest, 71(8), 57–60. Accessed 12 October 2021.

Shell, Madelynn D., et al. “Who Am I? Identity Development During the First Year of College.” Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research, vol. 25, no. 2, Summer 2020, pp. 192–202. EBSCOhost, doi:10.24839/2325-7342.jn25.2.192. Accessed 12 October 2021.