IDEA Instrument

The IDEA: Inventory of the Dimensions of Emerging Adulthood

The IDEA instrument is shown below in actual questionnaire format. Please cite the instrument as:

Reifman, A., Arnett, J.J., & Colwell, M.J. (2007, Summer). Emerging adulthood: Theory, assessment, and application. Journal of Youth Development, 2(1). [Online journal access now appears to be limited to members of the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents. Please e-mail Dr. Reifman to request copies of this paper.]

Instructions on how to compute the subscales are given at the bottom of the present page.

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Views of Life Survey

First, please think about this time in your life. By “time in your life,” we are referring to the present time, plus the last few years that have gone by, and the next few years to come, as you see them. In short, you should think about a roughly five-year period, with the present time right in the middle.

For each phrase shown below, please place a check mark in one of the columns to indicate the degree to which you agree or disagree that the phrase describes this time in your life. For example, if you “Somewhat Agree” that this is a “time of exploration,” then on the same line as the phrase, you would put a check mark in the column headed by “Somewhat Agree” (3).
Be sure to put only one check mark per line.

Is this period of your life a…	Strongly Disagree (1)	Somewhat Disagree (2)	Somewhat Agree (3)	Strongly Agree (4)
1. time of many possibilities?
2. time of exploration?
3. time of confusion?
4. time of experimentation?
5. time of personal freedom?
6. time of feeling restricted?
7. time of responsibility for yourself?
8. time of feeling stressed out?
9. time of instability?
10. time of optimism?
11. time of high pressure?
12. time of finding out who you are?
13. time of settling down?
14. time of responsibility for others?
15. time of independence?
16. time of open choices?
17. time of unpredictability?
18. time of commitments to others?
19. time of self-sufficiency?
20. time of many worries?
21. time of trying out new things?
22. time of focusing on yourself?
23. time of separating from parents?
24. time of defining yourself?
25. time of planning for the future?
26. time of seeking a sense of meaning?
27. time of deciding on your own beliefs and values?
28. time of learning to think for yourself?
29. time of feeling adult in some ways but not others?
30. time of gradually becoming an adult?
31. time of being not sure whether you have reached full adulthood?

*Subscale*	*Items to Average*
Identity Exploration	12, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28
Experimentation/Possibilities	1, 2, 4, 16, 21
Negativity/Instability	3, 6, 8, 9, 11, 17, 20
Other-Focused	13, 14, 18
Self-Focused	5, 7, 10, 15, 19, 22
Feeling "In-Between"	29, 30, 31

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