Identity Centrality and Well-being in Lesbian and Bisexual Women College Students

Year 2020, Volume: 7 Issue: 3, 70 - 80, 12.09.2020

Christine M. Rosner Trey W. Armstrong Michaela V. Walsh Linda G. Castillo Ankita Sahu

Abstract

Identity centrality and well-being may hold relevance to lesbian and bisexual women college
students as they navigate emerging adulthood, develop their identities, and work towards greater
authenticity and self-acceptance. This study sought to investigate identity centrality clusters in a
sample of lesbian and bisexual identified college students. Drawing upon extant literature, we
hypothesized that lesbian and bisexual women would have profiles of identity centrality that
emphasize different aspects of identity and that balanced identity centrality profiles would be
associated with higher eudaimonic well-being. Six profiles (or clusters) of identity centrality were
found. Interestingly, obtained profiles differed between the group of lesbian and the group of
bisexual-identified women. Identity centrality profiles, which demonstrated high centrality across all
components (engaged/public) and those that deemphasized collective identity (low collective)
profiles, were associated with higher eudaimonic well-being among both participant groups.

Keywords

identity centrality, lesbian women, bisexual women, eudaimonic well-being

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