In Western societies, shared social scripts that once guided education, work, and relationships have steadily weakened. Marriage rates are declining, partnerships are increasingly unstable, and life-course transitions have become less predictable. While these developments are often framed as gains in autonomy and freedom, they also carry psychological costs—particularly for emerging adults aged 18 to 35.
Research shows that approximately 25–35% of emerging adults report persistent uncertainty about values, goals, and relationships, accompanied by reduced psychological well-being (Berman et al., 2004; Schulenberg & Schoon, 2012; Seiffge-Krenke et al., 2024). Longitudinal studies indicate that this age group has experienced the steepest decline in life satisfaction over the past decade, coinciding with increasing instability in education, work, and intimate relationships (OECD, 2023; WHO, 2022). Importantly, these effects are not limited to socioeconomic disadvantage but reflect broader normative changes affecting large segments of the population.
Sociological research highlights that social change has dismantled formerly institutionalised pathways into adulthood. Decisions that were once socially prescribed—when to partner, commit, or start a family—are now individualised, prolonged, and uncertain (Settersten et al., 2020). As shared norms weaken, responsibility for coherence, meaning, and long-term planning shifts from social structures to individuals. This shift substantially increases adaptive demands and places self-regulatory capacity at the centre of psychological adjustment (Baumeister & Muraven, 1996; Vignoles et al., 2023).
Within this context, Identity Distress has gained prominence as a key psychological response to sustained uncertainty. Identity Distress refers to persistent subjective distress arising from difficulties in forming stable commitments in core life domains such as work, values, and relationships (Berman et al., 2004). Empirical evidence consistently links elevated Identity Distress to reduced well-being, increased depressive symptoms, and long-term health risks during emerging adulthood (Luyckx et al., 2019; Seiffge-Krenke et al., 2024).
Relational contexts appear particularly influential. Intimate relationships traditionally provide orientation, feedback, and normative clarity, yet they are themselves increasingly shaped by ambiguity regarding commitment, roles, and future expectations. Recent studies suggest that it is not relationship status itself, but normative uncertainty within relationships, that is most strongly associated with distress and reduced well-being (Luyckx et al., 2019; Seiffge-Krenke et al., 2024).
From a health-psychological perspective, distress under social change should not be understood primarily as pathology. Contemporary models conceptualise distress as a signal of heightened regulatory demands, indicating that available resources may be insufficient to manage ongoing uncertainty (WHO, 2022). Individuals with strong adaptive capacity—such as effective emotion regulation, goal integration, and a coherent sense of self—are better able to benefit from normative openness. Others, however, are more vulnerable when external structure loosens.
At the population level, the central risk lies not in social change itself, but in the growing mismatch between rising adaptive demands and uneven access to adaptive resources (OECD, 2023). Strengthening well-being in times of social change therefore requires prevention-oriented approaches that support individuals in constructing coherent values, making decisions under uncertainty, and maintaining psychological stability without relying on fixed social scripts.
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