Chronological and Subjective Age in Emerging Adulthood

Abstract

This study explored the relationship between chronological age and subjective age in emerging adulthood. Predictors of variability in subjective age were also examined. A sample of 190 university students (140 females, 50 males) ages 17 to 29 completed questionnaires assessing their subjective age, psychosocial maturity, number of role transitions, financial dependence, economic pressure, and alcohol use. There was a negative linear relationship between subjective age and chronological age, with older individuals feeling younger than their chronological age. The crossover from an older to a younger subjective age occurred at about 25.5 years. Psychosocial maturity was the only significant predictor of subjective age, with higher maturity related to feeling older. The crossover from an older to a younger subjective age is discussed as a transition-linked turning point in which emerging adults redefine who they are in the context of changing reference groups and the newness of their recently acquired autonomy.