The self in change: A longitudinal investigation of coping and self-determination processes

On the basis of theoretical work on self-determination, coping, and the self, this study aimed at understanding the role of both structural and flexible self variables in the process of adapting to change, and the consequences of this adaptation process. It was hypothesized that, in a changing situation, global self-determination, as a structural aspect of the self, would predict the coping strategies used to deal with this life change. Coping, in turn, was hypothesized to represent an adaptation process mediating the associations between global self-determination and various consequences. The consequences investigated included changes in psychological well-being and in flexible aspects of the self (i.e., new identity, contextual self-determined motivation). Using a three-wave design, this study tested these hypotheses among students experiencing the transition to university. Results obtained through structural equation modeling involving true change procedures provided support for most of the anticipated associations.