SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS SHAPING AUTHENTIC CHARACTERISTICS IN YOUTH

Abstract

An unresolved question in identity research concerns how interpersonal resources and value-based self-regulation jointly support authentic characteristics during youth development. This study examined these relationships through a cross-sectional survey of N=120 participants aged 18–30 years (M=23.6, SD=3.1). Psychometric testing was conducted with reliability screening at α ≥ 0.70, followed by exploratory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and regression modeling. Written consent and ethics approval were secured under the Declaration of Helsinki. Authenticity orientation averaged M=67.8 (SD=10.4, range 42–91), whereas perceived social support averaged M=59.7 (SD=11.2, range 28–84). Regression analysis showed that perceived social support was the strongest predictor of authenticity orientation (β=0.46, p<.001), and the model explained R²=0.21 of variance. The findings indicate that stronger interpersonal support corresponds to more pronounced value-consistent self-regulation than would be expected from isolated individual development. The scholarly contribution is a compact psychometric model linking social support, identity development, and ethnopsychological interpretation without reducing authenticity to individual traits alone.