Iranian Journal of Educational Sociology 2645-3460 In Press 2026 11 01 Existential Identity Crisis and Feelings of Meaninglessness among Repeat University Entrance Examination Candidates: A Phenomenological Analysis of the Consequences of Self-Erosion Existential Identity Crisis and Feelings of Meaninglessness among Repeat University Entrance Examination Candidates: A Phenomenological Analysis of the Consequences of Self-Erosion 1 17 10.61838/0zde0302 EN Journal Article 2026 03 01 <p><strong>Purpose:</strong> This study aimed to phenomenologically explain the lived experiences of repeat university entrance examination candidates, focusing on the wish for liberation, fragile academic self-concept, study-related work–family conflict, and existential identity crisis.</p> <p><strong>Methods and Materials:</strong> This qualitative study employed an interpretive phenomenological approach. Twenty-one repeat candidates were selected through purposive sampling with maximum variation, and data collection continued until theoretical saturation. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews lasting 40–60 minutes. Interviews were audio-recorded with informed consent, transcribed, and analyzed in ATLAS.ti version 8 through open, axial, theory-guided recoding, and selective coding. Credibility was strengthened through member checking, peer review, and external auditing.</p> <p><strong>Findings:</strong> The analysis identified 13 interrelated theoretical categories organized around the central phenomenon of “structural reproduction of failure and self-erosion.” Four themes captured the deepest layers of participants’ experiences. The wish for liberation functioned as a maladaptive defensive mechanism that temporarily reduced distress while reinforcing avoidance. Fragile academic self-concept reflected extreme dependence of self-worth on examination performance and social comparison. Study-related work–family conflict emerged through simultaneous financial dependence, family expectations, continuous monitoring, restricted autonomy, guilt, and shame. Existential identity crisis represented the most profound outcome, characterized by loss of meaning, uncertainty about personal identity, narrowing of identity to repeated failure, emotional indifference, and inability to imagine a purposeful future.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> Repeated failure in the university entrance examination is not merely an educational or motivational problem but a multidimensional process involving psychological exhaustion, erosion of self-worth, relational strain, meaninglessness, and identity disruption. Effective responses should therefore integrate individual, family-based, educational, and structural interventions, with attention to meaning-centered and identity-focused approaches.</p> https://qijes.com/index.php/ijes/article/download/1511/1498