Araştırma Makalesi | Açık Erişim
Uluslararası Psiko-Sosyal Eğitim Araştırmaları Dergisi 2026, Clt. 6(10) 198-216
Mental Health In Emerging Adulthood: The Role of Identity Confusion and Mentalization
ss. 198 - 216
Yayın Tarihi: Haziran 30, 2026 | Görüntüleme Sayısı: 0/0 | İndirilme Sayısı: 0/0
Özet
This study examines whether mental health indicators and mentalising capacities differ according to the extent of identity confusion experienced during the emerging adulthood stage of life. The study sample consisted of 435 participants aged 19–25. Of these, 236 (54.25%) were female and 199 (45.75%) were male. Data were collected using the “Brief Symptom Inventory”, the “Sense of Identity Assessment Form” and the “Mentalization Scale”. A two-step cluster analysis (hierarchical and K-means) of the data showed that the sample could be divided into two main groups: (1) individuals with high levels of identity confusion, high levels of mental distress and low mentalising capacity; and (2) individuals with lower levels of identity confusion, relatively good mental well-being and enhanced mentalising skills. The findings suggest that uncertainty and ambivalence during the development of identity are associated with difficulties in regulating emotions and an increased risk of psychological distress. However, mentalisation appears to be positively associated with mental well-being in this process.
Anahtar kelimeler: Emerging adulthood, identity confusion, mentalization, mental health, psychology behavior-personality assessment
APA 7th edition
DUNDAR, A.H., Atmaca, M., & Umur, A.N.G. (2026). Mental Health In Emerging Adulthood: The Role of Identity Confusion and Mentalization. Uluslararası Psiko-Sosyal Eğitim Araştırmaları Dergisi, 6(10), 198-216.
Harvard
DUNDAR, A., Atmaca, M. and Umur, A. (2026). Mental Health In Emerging Adulthood: The Role of Identity Confusion and Mentalization. Uluslararası Psiko-Sosyal Eğitim Araştırmaları Dergisi, 6(10), pp. 198-216.
Chicago 16th edition
DUNDAR, Ayse Hazal, Merve Atmaca and Aybuke Nur Guclu Umur (2026). "Mental Health In Emerging Adulthood: The Role of Identity Confusion and Mentalization". Uluslararası Psiko-Sosyal Eğitim Araştırmaları Dergisi 6 (10):198-216.
Allen, J. G., Fonagy, P., & Bateman, A. W. (2008). Mentalizing in clinical practice. American Psychiatric Publishing. https://www.scribd.com/document/399674160/Mentalizing-in-Clinical-Practice.
Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55(5), 469–480. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.5.469
Arnett, J. J., & Mitra, D. (2020). Are the features of emerging adulthood developmentally distinctive? A comparison of ages 18–60 in the United States. Emerging Adulthood, 8(5), 412– 419. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696818810073
Badoud, D., Luyten, P., Fonseca-Pedrero, E., Eliez, S., & Debbané, M. (2023). Identity development, mentalizing, and psychopathology from adolescence to emerging adulthood. Development and Psychopathology, 35(1), 150–165. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579422000896
Bateman, A. W., & Fonagy, P. (2016). Mentalization-based treatment for personality disorders: A practical guide. Guilford Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/med:psych/9780199680375.001.0001
Bateman, A. W., & Fonagy, P. (2019). Handbook of mentalizing in mental health practice. American Psychiatric Publishing. https://www.appi.org/Handbook_of_Mentalizing_in_Mental_Health_Practice_Second_Edition.
Bateman, A., & Fonagy, P. (2004). Psychotherapy for borderline personality disorder: Mentalization- based treatment. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/med:psych/9780198527664.001.0001.
Berzonsky, M. D. (2011). A social-cognitive perspective on identity construction. In S. J. Schwartz, K. Luyckx, & V. L. Vignoles (Eds.), Handbook of identity theory and research (pp. 55–76). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7988-9_3.
Choi-Kain, L. W., & Gunderson, J. G. (2008). Mentalization: Ontogeny, assessment, and application in the treatment of borderline personality disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 165(9), 1127–1135. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2008.07081360.
De Lise, F., Luyckx, K., & Crocetti, E. (2024). Identity matters for well-being: The longitudinal associations between identity processes and well-being in adolescents with different cultural backgrounds. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 53(4), 910– 926. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-023-01901-8.
Debbané, M., Salaminios, G., Luyten, P., Badoud, D., Armando, M., & Fonagy, P. (2016). Attachment, neurobiology, and mentalizing along the psychosis continuum. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 10, 406. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2016.00406.
Demir, H. K., Dereboy, F., & Dereboy, Ç. (2009). Gençlerde Kimlik Bocalaması ve Psikopatoloji.
Türk Psikiyatri Dergisi, 20(3). https://www.turkpsikiyatri.com/PDF/C20S3/03.pdf.
Dereboy, İ. F., Dereboy, Ç., Coşkun, A., & Coşkun, B. (1994). Özdeğer duygusu, öz imgesi ve kimlik duygusu-II: Bir kimlik duygusu değerlendirme aracına doğru-ön çalışma. Çocuk ve Gençlik Ruh Sağlığı Dergisi, 1(2), 61-69. https://turkmedline.net/detay/ozdeger-duygusu-oz-imgesi-ve-kimlik-duygusu-i/6460910088b71b6/tr/74%2B1994%2B1%2B1.
Derogatis, L. R. (1992). Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI): Administration, scoring, and procedures manual-II. National Computer Systems. https://www.scribd.com/document/973206405/BSI-manual#google_vignette.
Dimitrijevic, A., Hanak, N., Vukosavljevic-Gvozden, T., & Zaric, N. (2018). The Mentalization Scale (MentS): A self-report measure for the assessment of mentalizing capacity. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 40, 576–594. DOI: 10.1080/00223891.2017.1310730.
Ensink, K., Berthelot, N., Bernazzani, O., Normandin, L., & Fonagy, P. (2017). Another step closer to measuring the ghost in the nursery: Assessing mentalization in mothers with childhood maltreatment. Infant Mental Health Journal, 38(1), 47–62. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01471.
Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. W. W. Norton. https://www.academia.edu/37327712/Erik_H_Erikson_Identity_Youth_and_Crisis_1_1968_W_W_Norton_and_Company_1_.
Fonagy, P., & Target, M. (1997). Attachment and reflective function: Their role in self-organization. Development and Psychopathology, 9(4), 679–700. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579497001399
Fonagy, P., Gergely, G., Jurist, E. L., & Target, M. (2002). Affect regulation, mentalization, and the development of the self. Other Press. https://www.scirp.org/reference/referencespapers?referenceid=2192764.
Fonagy, P., Luyten, P., Allison, E., & Campbell, C. (2019). What we have changed our minds about: Part 2. Borderline personality disorder, epistemic trust and the developmental significance of social communication. Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation, 6(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40479-019-0111-9
Kernberg, O. F. (2006). Identity: Recent findings and clinical implications. The Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 75(4), 969-1004. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2167-4086.2006.tb00065.x.
Köten, E. (2024). Kişilik yapılanması ve duygu düzenleme: Mentalizasyon ve reddedilme duyarlılığının aracı rolleri [Doktora tezi, İstanbul Okan Üniversitesi]. DOI:10.13140/RG.2.2.28894.14406.
Kroger, J., & Marcia, J. E. (2011). The identity statuses: Origins, meanings, and interpretations. In S. J. Schwartz, K. Luyckx, & V. L. Vignoles (Eds.), Handbook of identity theory and research. Springer. DOI:10.1007/978-1-4419-7988-9_2.
Luyckx, K., Klimstra, T. A., Schwartz, S. J., & Duriez, B. (2013). Personal identity in college and the work context: Developmental trajectories and psychosocial functioning. European Journal of Personality, 27(3), 222-237. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.1903.
Luyten, P., Campbell, C., Allison, E., & Fonagy, P. (2020). The mentalizing approach to psychopathology: State of the art and future directions. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 16, 297–325. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-071919-015355
Luyten, P., Fonagy, P., Lowyck, B., & Vermote, R. (2012). The assessment of mentalization. In A. Bateman & P. Fonagy (Eds.), Handbook of mentalizing in mental health practice (pp. 43–65). American Psychiatric Publishing. https://books.google.com.tr/books?id=id-4ZEdjzNQC&printsec=frontcover&hl=tr&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false.
Marcia, J. E. (1966). Development and validation of ego-identity status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 3(5), 551–558. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0023281
Şahin, N. H., & Durak, A. (1994). Kısa semptom envanteri (Brief Symptom Inventory-BSI): Türk gençleri için uyarlanması. Türk Psikoloji Dergisi, 9(31), 44–56. https://toad.halileksi.net/olcek/kisa-semptom-envanteri-kse-2/.
Samaey, C., Lambrechts, S., Lecei, A., Achterhof, R., Hagemann, N., Hermans, K. S., & van Winkel, R. (2025). The role of identity in the development of depressive, anxiety and psychosis symptoms in adolescents exposed to childhood adversity: a process-oriented approach. Bmc Psychiatry, 25(1), 194. doi: 10.1186/s12888-025-06649-y.
Schwartz, S. J., Luyckx, K., & Vignoles, V. L. (2013). Emerging identity in emerging adulthood: Theoretical foundations and empirical insights. In S. J. Schwartz, K. Luyckx, & V. L. Vignoles (Eds.), Handbook of identity theory and research. Springer. DOI: 10.1177/2167696813479781.
Schwartz, S. J., Zamboanga, B. L., Luyckx, K., Meca, A., & Ritchie, R. A. (2013). Identity in emerging adulthood: Reviewing the field and looking forward. Emerging Adulthood, 1(2), 96– 113. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696813479781.
Sharp, C., & Vanwoerden, S. (2015). Hypermentalizing in borderline personality disorder: A model and data. Journal of Infant, Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy, 14(1), 33–45. https://doi.org/10.1080/15289168.2015.1004890
Sharp, C., Pane, H., Ha, C., Venta, A., Patel, A. B., Sturek, J., & Fonagy, P. (2011). Theory of mind and emotion regulation difficulties in adolescents with borderline traits. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 50(6), 563–573. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2011.01.017.
Sharp, C., Vanwoerden, S., Schmeck, K., Birkhölzer, M., & Goth, K. (2021). An evaluation of age- group latent mean differences in maladaptive identity in adolescence. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.730415.
Taubner, S., Kessler, H., Buchheim, A., Kächele, H., & Staun, L. (2011). The role of mentalization in the psychoanalytic treatment of chronic depression. Psychiatry: Interpersonal & Biological Processes, 74(1), 49-57. https://doi.org/10.1521/psyc.2011.74.1.49.
Törenli Kaya, H., Yazıcı, D., Coşkun, Ş., & Gençöz, T. (2023). The Mentalization Scale: Psychometric properties of the Turkish version. Current Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.5080/u25692.
