Language, Identity, and Quarter-Life Crisis: A Systemic Functional Linguistics Perspective on Indonesian Emerging Adults in Educational Contexts: Penelitian

Andi Sahtiani Jahrir

doi:10.31004/jerkin.v4i1.2917

Authors

Andi Sahtiani Jahrir Universitas Negeri Makassar

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31004/jerkin.v4i1.2917

Keywords:

Quarter-Life Crisis, Emerging Adulthood, Systemic Functional Linguistics, Appraisal, Identity

Abstract

This study analyzes how young Indonesian adults express their quarter-life crisis (QLC) experiences in an educational context using a Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) approach. The aim is to demonstrate that QLC is not only psychological in nature, but also manifests as linguistic performances of identity, insecurity, and resilience. The method used is mixed, combining descriptive statistics and discourse analysis. Data were collected from 33 respondents aged 18–30 years in Makassar through a 17-item Likert questionnaire covering insecurity, future anxiety, motivation, social comparison, religiosity, and satisfaction. Quantitative analysis was conducted by calculating frequencies, while responses were reanalyzed using the SFL Assessment framework (Attitude, Engagement, Graduation). The results reveal three main themes: (1) high anxiety, 36.4% always worry about the future and 54.5% sometimes feel insecure; (2) relational difficulties, 66.7% have difficulty trusting others and 21.2% often compare themselves on social media; (3) religiosity as a dominant coping strategy, 72.7% rely on faith in God's help. Linguistically, this pattern appears as negative affect, negative judgments of others, and positive faith-based modalities.

References

Agarwal, S., Kar, S., & Saxena, A. (2020). Quarter-life crisis on social media: Linguistic themes in user-generated discourse. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(3), e15506. https://doi.org/10.2196/15506

American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. APA.

Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55(5), 469–480. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.5.469

Arnett, J. J. (2015). Emerging adulthood: The winding road from the late teens through the twenties (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.

Badan Pusat Statistik. (2021). Statistik Pendidikan Tinggi Indonesia 2021. Jakarta: BPS.

Ballesteros, M. M., Castro, J. A., & Villanueva, R. (2024). Quarter-life crisis: Its prevalence among emerging adults and the role of uncertainty, dissatisfaction, and indecisiveness as predictors. Psychology and Education: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 61(1), 1–12.

Buhl, H. M. (2007). Well-being and the child–parent relationship at the transition from university to work life. Journal of Adolescent Research, 22(5), 550–571. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558407305415

Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing grounded theory (2nd ed.). Sage.

Christie, F., & Derewianka, B. (2008). School discourse: Learning to write across the years of schooling. Continuum.

Chung, H., Kim, H., & Lee, J. (2020). Quarter-life crisis and academic burnout among Korean college students. Journal of Youth Studies, 23(8), 987–1004. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2020.1714746

Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2018). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). Sage.

Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. W. W. Norton & Company.

Evans, J. R., & Mathur, A. (2018). The value of online surveys: A look back and a look ahead. Internet Research, 28(4), 854–887. https://doi.org/10.1108/IntR-03-2018-0089

Field, A. (2018). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics (5th ed.). Sage.

Halliday, M. A. K. (1994). An introduction to functional grammar (2nd ed.). Edward Arnold.

Halliday, M. A. K., & Matthiessen, C. M. I. M. (2014). Halliday’s introduction to functional grammar (4th ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203431269

Jager, J., et al. (2025). Emerging adulthood and challenges in emotion regulation: A cross-cultural perspective. Emerging Adulthood, 13(1), 34–49. https://doi.org/10.1177/21676968251316957

Kroger, J. (2017). Identity development in adolescence and emerging adulthood. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Psychology. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.013.53

Krok, D. (2014). The role of meaning in life within the relations of religious coping and psychological well-being. Journal of Religion and Health, 53(2), 403–418. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-012-9643-6

Marcia, J. E. (1980). Identity in adolescence. In J. Adelson (Ed.), Handbook of adolescent psychology (pp. 159–187). Wiley.

Martin, J. R., & White, P. R. R. (2005). The language of evaluation: Appraisal in English. Palgrave Macmillan.

Moncada Linares, S., & Zhi-Ying, F. (2020). Systemic functional linguistics and education: A state-of-the-art review. English Language Teaching, 13(3), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v13n3p1

Park, C. L. (2005). Religion as a meaning-making framework in coping with life stress. Journal of Social Issues, 61(4), 707–729. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.2005.00428.x

Prasetyo, B. (2022). Coping strategies of Indonesian youth facing quarter-life crisis. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 25(3), 312–324. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajsp.12502

Rahmawati, L., & Rachmawati, T. (2021). Quarter-life crisis among Indonesian undergraduate students: Perfectionism and social comparison as predictors. Indonesian Journal of Psychology, 38(2), 145–160. https://doi.org/10.22146/jpsi.61541

Robinson, O. C., Wright, G. R. T., & Smith, J. A. (2013). The holistic phase model of early adult crisis: Applications and implications. Journal of Adult Development, 20(1), 27–39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-013-9153-y

Rose, D., & Martin, J. R. (2012). Learning to write, reading to learn: Genre, knowledge and pedagogy in the Sydney School. Equinox.

Rosenberg, R. E., & Arnett, J. J. (2015). Emerging adulthood and the college transition: The role of student development theory. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 52(2), 157–169. https://doi.org/10.1080/19496591.2015.1011197

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2020). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. Guilford Press.

Suprayogi, W., & Santoso, H. (2024). Predictors of quarter-life crisis among Indonesian emerging adults: The role of emotional maturity and social support. Proceedings of the International Conference on Psychology, 7(1), 112–120.

Syed, M., & McLean, K. C. (2016). Understanding identity development in emerging adulthood: Integrating narratives and developmental tasks. Emerging Adulthood, 4(5), 356–364. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696815626820

Tavakol, M., & Dennick, R. (2011). Making sense of Cronbach’s alpha. International Journal of Medical Education, 2, 53–55. https://doi.org/10.5116/ijme.4dfb.8dfd

Twenge, J. M. (2017). iGen: Why today’s super-connected kids are growing up less rebellious, more tolerant, less happy—and completely unprepared for adulthood. Atria Books.

Valkenburg, P. M., Meier, A., & Beyens, I. (2022). Social media use and well-being: What we know and what we need to know. Current Opinion in Psychology, 45, 101–107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.12.006