You say Cluster, I say Developmental Trajectories

Eccles, J. S., & Garrett, J. L. (2010). Transition to adulthood: Linking late-adolescent lifestyles to family and work status in the mid-twenties. In I. Schoon & R. K. Silbereisen (Eds.), Transitions from School to Work: Globalization, Individualization, and Patterns of Diversity (pp. 243-290). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

This was a chapter from Rainer's most recent book in which the authors use the SOC framework to characterize adolescents who focus their attention on a narrow vs. a broad range of contexts; the latter group most closely represent "emerging adults" (according to the authors). The study used person-centered analyses to see whether specific clusters of adolescents would be more likely to experience different trajectories of education, work, and family outcomes, as well as different psychological outcomes (measured by self-esteem and depressive symptoms). At age 18, adolescents were clustered with regard to family, school, work, peers, and dating; the profiles that emerged were Late Bloomers (LBs), Daters, Workers, Well-Rounded Adolescents (WRAs), and Early Starters (EAs). One interesting finding was that WRAs did "best" in all domains at age 18, including psychological functioning; these adolescents followed no unique or specific pathway to adulthood, indicated by the fact that they weren't over- or under- represented in any of the adult status categories at age 25 (these are the emerging adults). Nevertheless, they continued to score highest on the psychological outcomes at Time 2.

I think I'm still a Well-Rounded Adolescent.

9/10 Jetts for interesting methodology and a refreshing use of the SOC framework.