Understanding the Self and Identity Development Across the Lifespan

The Self and Identity Development Laboratory, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, România

About Us

The Self and Identity Development Laboratory (SELFID) is part of the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, at Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. We study how self and identity develop, with a particular focus on adolescence and emerging adulthood.

Our research covers personal, educational, STEM, and vocational identity, and how identity processes relate to personal goals, academic achievement, perfectionism, and well-being across educational, social, and digital contexts. Perfectionism, along with its links to emotion regulation and psychological adjustment, is another core area of our work.

We also look at how changing social and technological environments shape young people’s self-understanding, and we develop and evaluate interventions that support healthy identity development and well-being. Our team brings together complementary expertise and uses experimental, longitudinal, qualitative, and mixed-method approaches.

Our Research Focus

Identity development

We study how personal, educational, and vocational identity develop over time, examining the factors associated with their development and their implications for adjustment. Our work considers the role of educational, social, and digital contexts.

Perfectionism and well-being

We examine how perfectionism develops and how its different dimensions relate to identity, achievement, emotion regulation, and well-being, including the role of relationships with parents and peers.

Goal setting and pursuit


We investigate how people set, pursue, and reconsider personal goals, and how these processes relate to identity, motivation, and adjustment during adolescence and emerging adulthood.