Lichtgedanken 05

Rubrik 42 Beneficial crises USA, France or Australia? Spending a year studying abroad is a big step for young people. You don’t just live in a different country, you often go through a proper identity crisis. A study by psychologists at the University of Jena has now proven why it is still worth leaving your familiar surroundings, family and friends for a long period of time. There are plenty of good reasons for young people to spend a year studying abroad: they learn about other people and cultures, improve their language skills and become more independent. And they experience crises of iden- tity, which may shake them over the short-term but actually strengthen their character over the long term, as psychologists at the University of Jena have now discovered. As part of the PIRATS—»Personality, Identity, and Re­ BY SEBASTIAN HOLLSTEIN P S Y C H O L O G Y