Career and Romantic Relationship Goals and Concerns During Emerging Adulthood

Abstract

This study examined emerging adults' personal goals and concerns in the domains of career (including education, work, and financial issues) and romantic relationship. A particular focus was on goal and concern hierarchies, that is, individuals' profiles of goals and concerns. A total of 1,052 Finnish emerging adults (63% female) were followed at ages 20 and 23. Latent class analyses yielded goal and concern profiles that were primarily related to career, whereas romantic relationships were less central in individuals' goal and concern hierarchies. Career and romantic relationship goals and concerns were associated with life status in these domains, especially prioritizing career goals and concerns predicted being in education and/or employment. Our findings suggest that given the diversity of goals and concerns in emerging adulthood, it is crucial to take a holistic approach and investigate the interdependences and prioritizations among different career and romantic relationship goals and concerns. © 2013 Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood and SAGE Publications.