Article
Background: Professional identity — the degree to which individuals integrate their occupational role into their broader self-concept — has been theorized as a key determinant of subjective well-being. Yet the psychological mechanisms through which professional identity translates into life satisfaction remain underexplored, particularly among early career adults navigating the complex transition from education into the labor market.
Aim: The present study examined whether general self-efficacy mediates the relationship between professional identity and life satisfaction in a sample of early career adults.
Design and Sample: A cross-sectional online survey design was employed with a convenience sample of N = 181 early career adults (M age = 27.6 years, SD = 4.9; 56.9% female). Measures included the Professional Identity Scale (PIS; α = .91), the General Self-Efficacy Scale (α = .88), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS; α = .89).
Results: Pearson correlations revealed significant positive associations among all three constructs (professional identity–life satisfaction: r = .62, p < .001; professional identity–self-efficacy: r = .55, p < .001; self-efficacy–life satisfaction: r = .48, p < .001). Mediation analysis using PROCESS Model 4 (Hayes, 2018) with 5,000 bootstrap resamples indicated a significant indirect effect of professional identity on life satisfaction through self-efficacy (β = .15, 95% CI [.07, .25]), alongside a significant direct effect (β = .46, p < .001), supporting partial mediation.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that while professional identity directly contributes to life satisfaction, a meaningful portion of this effect operates indirectly through enhanced self-efficacy beliefs.
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