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In this study we examined whether or not early maladaptive schemas regarding disconnection and rejection influenced peer connectedness of university students in emerging adulthood. We also investigated the mediating role of interpersonal orientation on these relationships. The participants were 304 students at universities in Korea, aged between 18 and 25 years. Results of structural equation modeling demonstrated that the defectiveness/shame schema had an indirect, negative effect on peer connectedness via interpersonal orientation, and the abandonment/instability schema had an indirect, positive influence on peer connectedness. The social isolation/alienation schema negatively and directly affected peer connectedness. Our findings suggest that when a sense of disconnection and rejection develops during childhood and adolescence, individuals show a relatively stable tendency to either avoid or overvalue interpersonal relationships. This may lead to difficulties in establishing peer relationships in emerging adulthood.
Keywords: early maladaptive schema, disconnection, rejection, interpersonal orientation, peer connectedness, peer relationships, emerging adulthood.
The transition to adulthood has become more demanding over the past several decades, and emerging adults (those aged 18 to 25 years) are struggling to attain the markers of adulthood, such as completing higher education, settling into a career, and developing social networks and close relationships (Arnett, 2000; Gralinski-Bakker et al., 2005). In addition, positive self-evaluation of their behaviors and emotions has become much more important for today's young adults than the traditional demographic markers (Côté, 2000; Shanahan, Porfeli, Mortimer, & Erickson, 2005). In line with these new markers of adulthood, forming mature interpersonal relationships is one of the primary developmental tasks of emerging adults as family ties become less salient, creating the need for young people to approach and value reliable relationships with others. In other words, as earlier scholars on the topic (Erikson, 1968; Neugarten, Moore, & Lowe, 1965) suggested, adult identity exploration is inseparably related to the individual's social world. Thus, a distinct feature of emerging adulthood today is that most young people focus on identity exploration in the context of interpersonal relationships (Arnett, 2000; Doumen et al., 2012; Kerpelman & Pittman, 2001; Montgomery, 2005; Radmacher & Azmitia, 2006).
Given that interpersonal context has such an important role in identity exploration, emerging adults need to value interactions with others and approach them. Interpersonal orientation, as one of these social tendencies (others include...