








































Humanitas: Indonesian Psychological Journal 

Vol. 21 (1), February 2024, 13-25 

ISSN:  2598-6368(online); 1693-7236(print)   

 humanitas@psy.uad.ac.id           http://journal1.uad.ac.id/index.php/Humanitas    https://doi.org/10.26555/humanitas.v21i1.485 

The role of personality orientation in predicting quarter life crisis in 

emerging adulthood: An anchor personality approach 

Nur Rohmah Itsnaini, Bagus Riyono

Faculty of Psychology, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia 
Corresponding author: bagus@ugm.ac.id;   

This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA license. 

Introduction 

Quarter-life crisis is a fairly popular term used to describe the period of developmental crisis 
in early adulthood. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (2022), Indonesia's 
population, which is categorized into the early adult age group (20-29 years), reaches 44.9 
million people. At that age, it is assumed that the adult population is prepared to become 
productive and superior individuals to face the demographic bonus in 2045 so that they can 
contribute to the country's development. However, according to data based on a survey 
conducted by Gumtree.com, as many as 86% of the 1,1000 young people experienced a 
quarter-life crisis because they felt pressure about their career, finances, and commitment to 
marry before turning 30 (Hill, 2011). Another survey conducted by LinkedIn (2017) found 
that as many as 75% of the 6,014 young people said they experienced a quarter-life crisis 
triggered by confusion about what to achieve in the future, not making money, and pressure 
to get married and have children. This quarter-life crisis has also become popular because the 
majority of the millennial generation has experienced stress triggered by various things, 
including pressure to get married, start a family, and finance (Miles, 2022).  

The term quarter-life crisis was first introduced by Robbins & Wilner (2001) as an 
identity crisis experienced by individuals who are in transition from childhood to adulthood 

ARTICLE  INFO ABSTRACT  

Article history 

Received July 20, 2023 

Revised December 20, 2023 

Accepted January 5, 2024 

A quarter-life crisis during emerging adulthood is triggered by 
various worries in the future regarding careers, romantic, and social 
relationships. This study aims to test the role of anchor personality 
dimensions in predicting a quarter-life crisis in emerging adulthood. 
The participants of this study were 279 people in the 18-25 year age 
group. This study was conducted with the quantitative approach using 
a survey method through social media. The instruments used were the 
Quarter Life Crisis Scale and Anchor Personality Inventory. The 
results of the analysis using the multiple linear regression method 
showed that anchor virtues have a significant negative relationship in 
predicting quarter-life crises. However, anchor materials and others 
show a significant positive relationship in predicting the quarter-life 
crisis. The implications of this research empirically show the 
importance of emerging adulthood to be oriented towards virtues to 
prevent quarter-life crisis and achieve optimal psychological 
functioning. 

Keywords 

anchor personality; 

emerging adulthood;  

quarter-life crisis. 

mailto:humanitas@psy.uad.ac.id
http://journal1.uad.ac.id/index.php/Humanitas
https://doi.org/10.26555/humanitas.v21i1.485
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Nur Rohmah Itsnaini et.al (The Role of Personality Orientation in Predicting Quarter Life Crisis in…) 

(Pinggolio, 2015). This refers to a person's condition in response to extraordinary instability 
followed by many choices and changes continuously, giving rise to feelings of helplessness 
and anxiety. Looking back at the history of development, the occurrence of a quarter-life 
crisis includes feelings of worry and anxiety about the uncertainties of future life around 
work, love, and social life (Arnett, 2015; Nash & Murray, 2010). At first, the term quarter life 
crisis began to appear in the younger generation in America when entering the 20th century 
(Atwood & Scholtz, 2008; Robbins & Wilner, 2001). The emergence of this period is 
believed to be the result of several factors, such as social, economic, and historical factors, 
that occurred after the Second World War (Atwood & Scholtz, 2008). 

The phenomenon of adolescence is relatively modern, shaped by factors such as 
industrialization and the expansion of the education system. This is evident as young 
individuals are now compelled to attend school and undergo skills training for an extended 
period compared to earlier times. During this phase, there is a transition from childhood to 
adulthood, marked by the presence of norms, beliefs, ambivalence, and confusion. These 
factors represent a distinctive period of change (Atwood & Scholtz, 2008). Initially, before 
this differentiation of developmental stages occurred, children began to enter the labour force 
at a young age, and there were no stages that represented a waiting period, so the waiting 
period was seen as a separate life stage, namely adolescence. Atwood & Scholtz (2008) 
revealed that at this time, an individual does not want to be considered a child, but on the 
other hand, they also feel unable to explore life like adults. The norms in childhood also 
cannot be applied to them, but the norms in adulthood also cannot be applied as a whole 
(Atwood & Scholtz, 2008). It is also believed that in the absence of behavioral norms to guide 
individuals towards the expected behavior, adolescence becomes a very confusing period and 
is synonymous with stressful developmental stages. 

The problems that arise during the quarter-life crisis are related to dreams and hopes, 
academic and career challenges, as well as religion and spirituality (Nash & Murray, 2010). 
The post-university transition is more than just a challenge in finding a job; it includes 
changes in identity, relationships, lifestyle and finances (Robinson, 2019). Robbins (2004) 
mentions several general characteristics that are likely to occur in individuals who are 
experiencing a quarter-life crisis, including the following: (1) ignorance and indecision 
regarding life goals; (2) dissatisfaction with what has been achieved; (3) fear of failure; (4) 
are reluctant to leave childhood and realize that adolescence is over; (5) fear of not being able 
to make the right choice; and (6) having a negative self-assessment because of comparing 
one's own achievements with others. Hassler (2009) mentions that there are seven aspects of 
a quarter-life crisis, including (1) indecision in making decisions, (2) desperation, (3) negative 
self-assessment, (4) being stuck in a difficult situation, (5) anxious; (6) depressed; and (7) 
worry about interpersonal relationships that are being and will be built. 

Previous studies found several factors for the occurrence of a quarter-life crisis, both 
internal and external factors. Internal factors that contribute to quarter-life crises, for example, 
motivation, affection, cognition, religiosity and spirituality, self-esteem, emotional 
intelligence, resilience, and personality (Balzarie & Nawangsih, 2019; Baumert et al., 2017; 
Fatchurrahmi & Urbayatun, 2022; Huwaina & Khoironi, 2021; Mikula et al., 2018; Olenik-
Shemesh et al., 2018; Robinson & Wright, 2013) External factors, such as social 
relationships, problems with partners, family support, academic and career challenges, 
economic status, transitional periods, and parenting (Arnett, 2000; Haase et al., 2012; 
Huwaina & Khoironi, 2021; Kins et al., 2009; Praharso et al., 2017; Robinson & Wright, 
2013; Walshe, 2018). 

Pervin et al. (2005) emphasize the diverse factors shaping individuals' responses to 
different situations, especially during crisis stages. Syafar et al. (2022) explain that 
individuals grappling with difficulties during the quarter-life crisis often attribute their 
challenges to their unique personality traits. A more in-depth examination reveals that 
personality holds a fundamental role in influencing quarter-life crises, serving as a 



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   Nur Rohmah Itsnaini et.al (The Role of Personality Orientation in Predicting Quarter Life Crisis in...)  

predisposing factor or distinctive inclination in how individuals react and respond to crisis 
situations (Kurniasari, 2017). 

Previous studies have stated that personality is an important factor in studying a quarter 
life crisis phenomenon. However, previous research has mostly focused on the big-five 
personality theory. The personality theory put forward by Costa & McCrae (1988) places 
more emphasis on five separate personality dimensions (openness, conscientiousness, 
extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism) in which each dimension has traits and 
characteristics that arise as a result of the dynamics within the individual (Lotfi et al., 2016). 

However, the big-five personality theory is not sufficient to comprehensively define a 
personality because it does not include aspects of religiosity and spirituality. Najm (2019) 
states that religiosity and spirituality are one of the pillars in interpreting individual 
personality. Those two pillars hold a prominent position among personality traits, serving as 
a source of moral values and offering a refuge for individuals facing adversity, promoting 
patience, and easing tensions (Najm, 2019). Therefore, there is an alternative anchor 
personality theory put forward by Riyono (2012), which includes the aspects of religiosity 
and spirituality in individuals. The anchor personality theory is a unique theory from a 
perspective that is relevant in the context of psychology in Indonesia (Riyono, 2020a). Anchor 
theory is also based on the view that personality results from repetitive behavioral dynamics 
(Riyono, 2020a). 

Riyono (Riyono, 2020a) defines an anchor as something that is used as a handle or 
mainstay for individuals in solving problems in their lives. The four dimensions of anchor 
personality theory include materials, self, others, and virtues. Anchor in a person will be 
perceived differently, along with the level of understanding of the individual (Riyono, 2020b). 
Theoretically, the process of anchor development that occurs in humans starts from anchor 
others in childhood. Then, along with their development, an individual will be more 
independent, and the individual will add another anchor: the self. This is called self-reliance. 
Anchor, as a source of human psychological stability, consists of several layers of abstraction 
that are interrelated and form a structure in the form of levels of layers from something 
concrete to abstract (Riyono, 2020a). Based on the level of abstraction, anchors can be 
categorized into several layers, including the following. (1) God as the most abstract ultimate 
anchor; (2) virtues, namely principles based on virtuous values; (3) self, namely all self-
qualities that are used as a guide for individuals; (4) others, namely something outside a 
person that is used as a guide for an individual; and (5) materials, defined as all kinds of 
valuable materials and objects that are used as a mainstay for individuals (Riyono, 2020a). 
The anchor layer can be interpreted as an ideal priority level that humans can apply in their 
lives to be able to achieve mental health (Riyono, 2020b). Figure 1 shows the personality 
structure of anchors (Riyono, 2020a, 2020b). 

Figure 1 
Anchor Structure 



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Nur Rohmah Itsnaini et.al (The Role of Personality Orientation in Predicting Quarter Life Crisis in…) 

The link between the dimensions in the anchor personality theory and the quarter-life 
crisis can be explained through the mainstays that are prioritized by the individual. This is in 
accordance with Riyono's statement (Riyono, 2020a) that individuals who are oriented 
towards principles based on virtues will experience a sense of psychological comfort and 
peace. This is because individuals who have virtues will also feel close to God, which cannot 
be achieved except through the manifestation of divine principles (Akhtar & Firmanto, 2021). 
Therefore, the ideal priority that individuals apply to achieve optimal psychological 
conditions is anchor virtues that are able to provide meaning for individuals and have a 
positive impact on wellbeing. 

This study examined its relevance to groups of individuals who are in the 
developmental stage of emerging adulthood. Arnett (2004) states that at this time, individuals 
will explore identity, self-focus instability, feeling in-between, and possibilities/optimism 
(Arnett, 2004). Thus, there is a paradox between instability and a period full of optimism; 
generally, individuals will make themselves (self) as a mainstay. This is consistent with 
Arnett's statement (2015) that there is no stage of a period in life that is more self-focused 
(self-focused) except for the period of emerging adulthood. Thus, individuals will rely on 
self-reliance (self-reliance). However, along with human intellectual development, the anchor 
will shift to virtues. Individuals in the emerging adulthood phase feel a strong urge to find the 
right or reliable anchor for themselves to achieve stability in life. 

Based on a theoretical review regarding the relationship between anchor dimensions 
and quarter-life crises in emerging adulthood, this study aimed to determine the extent to 
which personality orientation plays a role according to anchor personality theory in quarter-
life crises in emerging adulthood. There are several hypotheses in this study. First, anchor 
materials are positively related to a quarter-life crisis. Second, the anchor self is positively 
related to a quarter-life crisis. Third, anchor others is positively related to a quarter-life crisis. 
Fourth, anchor virtues are negatively related to a quarter-life crisis. 

Method 

Participants 

The criteria for participants in this study were 279 Indonesian Citizens (WNI), male and 
female, and aged 18-25 years. The reason for selecting the age group in this study was that 
individuals are experiencing a transition from adolescence to adulthood, or what is commonly 
referred to as the developmental stage of emerging adulthood (Arnett, 2004). See Table 1 for 
participants' information.  

Table 1 
Participant Demographic Data 

Demographics Category Frequency Percentage 

Gender Male 78 27.96% 

Female 201 72.04% 

Age 18 3 1.08% 

19 4 1.43% 

20 22 7.89% 

21 72 25.80% 

22 87 31.19% 

23 45 16.13% 

24 23 8.24% 

25 23 8.24% 

Tertiary 

Education 

High school/equivalent 138 49.47% 



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Table 1 
(Continued) 

Procedures 

This research was conducted using a non-experimental quantitative approach to the survey 
method. Data collection was carried out online via Google Form, which was distributed via 
social media. This questionnaire has also been equipped with an informed consent sheet and 
demographic data attached at the beginning of the form. This research has received ethical 
approval from the Ethics Commission of the Faculty of Psychology, Gadjah Mada University, 
with number 7511/UN1/FPSi.1.3/SD/PT.01.04/2022 on September 28 2022. 

Instruments 

Quarter Life Crisis Scale. A quarter-life crisis was measured using The Quarter Life Crisis 
Scale, developed by Hassler (2009) and adapted into Indonesian by Agustin (2012). This 
scale consists of 25 items arranged based on seven aspects, including: (1) indecision in 
making decisions; (2) desperate; (3) negative self-assessment; (4) stuck in a difficult situation; 
(5) anxious; (6) depressed; and (7) worry about interpersonal relationships that are being and 
will be built. The scale uses a Likert scale with five answer choices, namely 1 = strongly 
disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = agree, and 5 = strongly agree. Several studies using 
this scale showed a good reliability coefficient using Cronbach's Alpha of 0.967 overall 
(Korah, 2022). Nash & Murray (2010) used a similar scale and reported a Cronbach's Alpha 
reliability coefficient of 0.924. In this study, the Quarter Life Crisis scale has a Cronbach's 
Alpha reliability coefficient of 0.953. 
Anchor Personality Inventory (API). Anchor Personality Inventory–Short Form developed 
by Riyono (2020a) was used to measure the personality of anchors. This scale consists of  20 
items based on the four dimensions of anchor personality: materials, self, others, and virtues. 
Riyono (2020b) explains that each dimension consists of five aspects, including (1) the 
mainstay for choosing and deciding, (2) the attribution of success, (3) the attribution of 
happiness, (4) the mainstay for pinning hopes, and (5 ) a mainstay for interpreting phenomena. 
The scale uses a Likert scale with five answer choices, namely 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = 
disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = agree, and 5 = strongly agree. The higher score on each anchor 
dimension indicates the dominant anchor of the individual's personality orientation, which 
serves as the mainstay of his life. The anchor personality inventory has been used in various 
previous studies in various contexts and shows a good reliability coefficient using Cronbach's 
Alpha. Nugrahany (2017) conducted research on a group of tertiary education staff and 
reported Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficient as follows: 0.905 for anchor virtue; 0.876 
for anchor others; 0.919 for anchor self; and 0.838 for anchor materials. Furthermore, Dwatra 
(2016), in his research among employees, has also reported a Cronbach's Alpha reliability 
coeficient as follows: 0.821 for anchor virtue; 0.737 for anchor others; 0.803 for anchor self; 
and 0.852 for anchors self. 

Construct validity on this scale was measured using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) 
conducted by Istiqomah & Riyono (2022), showing that this scale shows a good fit model 

Demographics Category Frequency Percentage 

 Diploma 24 8.60% 

 Undergraduate 115 41.22% 

 postgraduate 2 0.71% 

Work Not yet working 6 2.15% 

 Student 178 63.80% 

 Profesional 6 2.15% 

 Civil servants 24 8.60% 

 Private sector employee 52 18.64% 

 Others 13 4.66% 



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which was selected based on the five items with the highest factor loading on each aspect in 
the API. The results of testing the validity of previous studies can be seen in Table 2. 
 
 
Table 2 

CFA API Results 

 
In this study, validity testing was also carried out for the API measuring instrument 

with the following results. 
 
Table 3 

CFA API Testing Results 

 
The result of construct validity testing of the Anchor Personality Inventory instrument 

showed a good and consistent fit model. See Table 3. 

Data Analysis 

Multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine the relationships between the four 
dimensions of anchor personality (i.e., materials, self, others, and virtues) and quarter-life 
crisis. Statistical analysis was performed using JASP software version 16.2.0. An assumption 
test (i.e., homoscedasticity, linearity, and normality) and a correlation test were carried out as 
conditions for the regression model that must be met before testing the hypotheses. 

Results 

Table 4  
Multiple Linear Regression Analysis 

Model R R² Adjusted R² F p 

1 0.000 

 

0.000 

 

0.000 

 

0.000 

 

0.000 

 

2 0.433 

 

0.188 

 

0.185 

 

63.959 

 

< .001 

 

3 0.495 

 

0.245 

 

0.239 

 

44.734 

 

< .001 

 

4 0.513 0.263 0.255 32.670 < .001 

 

Variable Item TLI CFI RMSEA SRMR 

Materials 2,3,5,8,10 0.942 0.971 0.068 0.038 

Self 2,5,7,8,10 0.977 0.989 0.031 0.034 

Others 1,2,4,5,6 0.853 0.926 0.083 0.050 

Virtues 2,4,6,7,10 1.050 1.000 0.000 0.022 

Variable Item TLI CFI RMSEA SRMR 

Materials 2,3,5,8,10 0.928 0.964 0.082 0.033 

Self 2,5,7,8,10 0.951 0.976 0.052 0.028 

Others 1,2,4,5,6 0.890 0.945 0.090 0.039 

Virtues 2,4,6,7,10 0.992 0.996 0.029 0.020 



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Table 5 

ANOVA 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 6 

Stepwise Multiple Linear Regression 

 
Based on the results of multiple regression analysis using the stepwise method, it shows 

that increasing the anchor others and materials will significantly increase the quarter life crisis 
(see Table 6). Conversely, an increase in anchor virtues will significantly reduce the quarter-
life crisis. This can be seen in the increase in R2 (see Table 4 and 5). Thus, it can be concluded 
that the 1st, 3rd, and 4th hypotheses are accepted, while the 2nd hypothesis is rejected. 

Discussion 

This study aims to investigate the role of anchor personality orientation (i.e., materials, self, 
others, and virtues) in predicting a quarter-life crisis in a group of emerging adults. The results 

Model   Sum of Squares df Mean Square F p 

2  Regression  39.817  1  39.817  63.959  < .001  

   Residual  172.441  277  0.623       

   Total  212.258  278         

3  Regression  51.962  2  25.981  44.734  < .001  

   Residual  160.296  276  0.581       

   Total  212.258  278         

4  Regression  55.772  3  18.591  32.670  < .001  

   Residual  156.486  275  0.569       

   Total  212.258  278         

Note.  The intercept model is omitted, as no meaningful information can be shown. 

Model   
Unstandardized 

(B) 
Standard Error (SE) Standardized (β) t p 

1  (Intercept)  2.908  0.052    55.597  < .001  

2  (Intercept)  1.276  0.209    6.094  < .001  

   Others  0.507  0.063  0.433  7.997  < .001  

3  (Intercept)  2.748  0.380    7.229  < .001  

   Others  0.508  0.061  0.434  8.302  < .001  

   Virtues  -0.342  0.075  -0.239  -4.573  < .001  

4  (Intercept)  2.341  0.408    5.739  < .001  

   Others  0.445  0.065  0.380  6.796  < .001  

   Virtues  -0.344  0.074  -0.241  -4.647  < .001  

   Materials  0.168  0.065  0.145  2.588  0.010  
 
Note.  The following covariate was considered but not included: Self. 



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indicate that anchor materials and others play a role in increasing quarter-life crisis. On the 
other hand, anchor virtues significantly contribute to preventing a quarter-life crisis. Thus, 
the three hypotheses (i.e., materials, others, and virtues) of this study are accepted, and one 
is rejected.  

The research found that anchor materials were associated with a quarter-life crisis. This 
aligns with anchor theory, which states that individuals who are oriented toward anchor 
materials tend to emphasize material things, such as wealth, social status, and wellbeing, as 
measured by something concrete and easily lost (Aisyahrani et al., 2020). Individuals who 
make materials as their anchor tend to feel satisfied or dissatisfied concerning the 
achievement of material things, such as property acquisition, financial success, increased 
status and social status (Aisyahrani et al., 2020).  

These Individuals also tend to believe that life goals might be achieved through 
materialism (Aisyahrani et al., 2020; Burroughs & Rindfleisch, 2002). Individuals who make 
material things as  priority in their lives will have the risk of feeling unsatisfied and unhappy. 
Even if you feel happy, the happiness is only momentary. Therefore, individuals who 
prioritize anchor materials have a high probability of experiencing a quarter-life crisis. This 
is because individuals have feelings of never being satisfied and easily disappointed when 
something material is lost. Moreover, individuals who hold on to anchor materials also have 
a strong tendency to have a self-oriented anchor and also an others-oriented anchor. Thus, 
individuals who experience quarter-life crises who hold on to anchor materials will feel 
continuous dissatisfaction and always worry about whether or not they can get material 
things. This explains how the anchor material positively predicts the quarter-life crisis.  

The next link is between the anchor self and quarter-life crisis, which can be explained 
according to the theory put forward by Arnett (2015); the period of emerging adulthood is 
synonymous with a more self-focused period. This is also synonymous with the individual's 
ability to do self-reflection to better understand one's desires in life and begin to build a 
foundation for adult life. The purpose of self-focusing can also be said to be a time for 
individuals to be able to learn to stand alone as independent individuals and as a necessary 
step before committing to long-term relationships with others, both in terms of love and work. 
Self-focusing during the quarter-life crisis is often associated with the level of self-esteem in 
individuals (Chung et al., 2014). However, this study found that the anchor self does not 
directly predict quarter-life crisis, though it has a strong correlation with the anchor materials 
which predict the quarter-life crisis. This indicates that the material orientation potentially 
mediates the relationship between self-oriented anchor and quarter-life crisis. More research 
is needed to examine the mediator role of anchor materials in the association between the 
self-oriented anchor and a quarter-life crisis.   

We also found that anchor others predicted the quarter-life crisis. Theoretically, the 
anchor development process that occurs in humans starts from anchor others in childhood, 
because individuals tend to rely on others. The need to depend on other people is a 
consequence of human existence as social beings (Riyono, 2020b). However, based on 
previous literature, which states that there is a period of extension from childhood to 
adulthood, this period is full of stress and uncertainty. The consequence of this extended 
childhood makes the individual continually rely on others in their life. In addition, the 
existence of external factors that influence the occurrence of quarter-life crisis, such as social 
relationships and the challenges of facing a more mature life, becomes a frightening thing for 
individuals who experience this extended childhood.  

Furthermore, previous research found that in the emerging adulthood period, 
individuals tend to emphasize relationships with family, friends, and partners (Murphy, 
2011). Erikson (1950) explained that during emerging adulthood, individuals are faced with 
a developmental task known as intimacy vs isolation. These developmental tasks are 
manifested in the behavior of forming friendships and intimate relationships with others 
(Santrock, 2017). Unfulfilled consequences of these developmental tasks make individuals 



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feel isolated. Individuals at this time will tend to emphasize interpersonal relationships to be 
able to achieve intimacy so that during this period, individuals tend to hold on to anchor 
others.  

Align with anchor theory,  the research found that anchor virtues were related to the 
quarter-life crisis. According to anchor theory individuals who rely on virtues which are 
manifestations of faith in God will create meaning and provide a sense of security and peace 
psychologically (Akhtar & Firmanto, 2021). Peterson and Seligman (2004) define virtue as a 
psychological element that forms a character strength based on virtue values. Virtue is also 
fundamental for individuals to achieve positive psychological conditions, such as achieving 
prosperity and life satisfaction (Prasetyo & Ratnaningsih, 2019). Belief in the virtues that 
originate from this faith will give you a sense of security, prosperity, and being able to deal 
with problems in life. Therefore, it is important for individuals to make anchor virtues a guide 
in life in the emerging adulthood period so that they are able to understand the meaning of 
life and prevent quarter-life crisis from occurring. 

This research has implications for the development of personality concepts and theories 
that are directed at individual benefits, especially to become a mainstay at the developmental 
stage of emerging adulthood. Professionals and practitioners can employ the Anchor 
Personality Theory as a tool to enhance their comprehension and awareness of personality 
orientation focused on virtues. This utilization aims to proactively address and prevent a 
quarter-life crisis, ultimately contributing to the attainment of optimal psychological 
functioning.  

This study has several limitations, including the demographic data of participants who 
are less diverse, both in terms of age, marital status, occupation, and domicile. Therefore, 
suggestions for future researchers are expected to be able to enrich similar research with a 
background of demographic data on groups of individuals in more diverse stages of 
development of emerging adulthood so that consistency will be found in research results in a 
more comprehensive manner. Moreover, the data in this study also shows a contradiction 
between the high scores of high materials and high virtues.  

This can happen because there is a possibility for participants to do social desirability 
because the items in the virtues dimension contain universal virtue values. The likelihood of 
social desirability influencing the virtues dimension in the Anchor Personality Inventory has 
been foreseen through composite variables and variations within the item context 
(Ayuningtyas & Riyono, 2023). By creating a composite variable that involves adjusting the 
virtues anchor score with materials, self, and other anchors, the virtues obtained have 
undergone a process of purification, eliminating the influence of these three dimensions. It is 
suggested that further research will be able to identify and anticipate the possibility of social 
desirability in participants. 

Furthermore, research related to the concept of quarter-life crisis involves a more 
serious future life transition. Therefore, future researchers are expected to relate it to factors 
that are often associated with crises, such as educational background, socioeconomic status, 
and culture (Duara et al., 2021; Robinson, 2019). Studies that examine a transition in the 
stages of development cannot escape the influence of socio-culture.  

This can be explained through the developmental stages of emerging adulthood which 
cannot be separated from the context of western culture. At this stage of development it can 
be said that the individual feels that he has pressure followed by the freedom and new 
responsibilities that accompany it. The existence of cultural demands so that individuals are 
able to explore life in a more individualistic manner makes this transition period often 
interpreted as a very challenging stage of life. This can be a consideration for future 
researchers to discuss phenomena that are a crisis at the stage of development and its relation 
to cultural aspects.  



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Conclusion 

This study aims to determine the extent of the role of anchor personality orientation (i.e., 
materials, self, others, and virtues) towards quarter-life crises in emerging adult groups of 
individuals. We found that materials, others, and virtues predict quarter-life crises in 
emerging adults, while the anchor self did not. These findings advance the existing literature 
by confirming the role of anchor personality orientation in understanding the quarter-life 
crises among emerging adults. They also provide insights into how practitioners might find 
better ways to assist young people in dealing with this crisis. 

Declarations  

Author contribution. First author contributed to designing the study, collecting data, and 
writing the manuscript draft. Second author contributed to supervising design study, 
consulting data analysis, reviewing the manuscript, and finalizing the manuscript.   
Funding statement. The authors did not receive funding for research, manuscript writing, 
and publication of this article. 
Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest which can influence this study. 

 
 

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