Emerging Adulthood : The Winding Road From the Late Teens Through the Twenties

Recently the lives of people from age 18 to 29 have changed so dramatically that a new stage of life has developed, emerging adulthood, that is distinct from both the adolescence that precedes it and the young adulthood that comes in its wake. Rather than marrying and becoming parents in their early twenties, most people in industrialized societies now postpone these transitions until at least their late twenties, and instead spend the time in self-focused exploration as they try out different possibilities in their careers and relationships. In Emerging Adulthood, Jeffrey Jensen Arnett identifies and labels, for the first time, this period exploration, instability, possibility, self-focus, and a sustained sense of being in limbo. An increasing number of emerging adults emphasize having meaningful and satisfying work to a degree not seen in prior generations. Marrying later and exploring more casual sexual relationships have created different hopes and fears concerning long-term commitments and the differences between love and sex. Emerging adults also face the challenge of defending their non-traditional lifestyles to parents and others outside their generation who have made much more traditional choices. In contrast to previous portrayals of emerging adults, Arnett's research shows that they are particularly skilled at maintaining contradictory emotions--they are confident while still being wary, and optimistic in the face of large degrees of uncertainty. As the demographics of American youth, the American workplace, and adulthood continue to evolve, Emerging Adulthood is indispensable reading for anyone wanting to understand the face of modern America. In recent decades, the lives of people in their late teens and twenties have changed so dramatically that a new stage of life can be said to have developed, just as the "teen" years began taking on their own identity a half century ago. In this provocative work, Jeffrey Jensen Arnett identifies emerging adulthood as distinct from both the adolescence that precedes it and the young adulthood that comes in its wake. Rather than marrying and becoming parents in their early twenties, most people in industrialized societies now postpone these rites of passage until at least their late twenties, instead spending these years in self-focused exploration as they try out different possibilities in their careers and relationships. What exactly influences and governs their thoughts, decisions, and actions during this time? What are they doing between when they leave their parents' homes for college and when they begin to live a typically adult life?

In Emerging Adulthood Arnett examines in detail this period of exploration, instability, possibility, self-focus, and a sustained sense of being in limbo. An increasing number of emerging adults emphasize meaningful and satisfying work -- not just a job -- to a degree not seen in prior generations. Marrying late, often after a series of intimate relationships, they have new and different hopes and fears about long-term commitments, love, and sex. Emerging adults face the challenge of defending their new and longer road to adulthood to parents and others who entered adulthood at an earlier age in a different time. In spite of these challenges, Arnett's research shows, emerging adults are particularly skilled at maintaining contradictory emotions -- they are confident while being wary, and optimistic in the face of large degrees of uncertainty.

Merging stories from the lives of emerging adults themselves with the findings from years of research, Emerging Adulthood covers a wide range of topics, including love and sex, relationships with parents, experiences at college and work, and views of what it means to be an adult. As the nature of American youth, American society, and the meaning of adulthood continue to evolve, Emerging Adulthood is indispensable reading for anyone wanting to understand the face of modern America.

In recent decades, the lives of people in their late teens and twenties have changed so dramatically that a new stage of life has developed. In his provocative work, Jeffrey Jensen Arnett has identified the period of emerging adulthood as distinct from both the adolescence that precedes it and the young adulthood that comes in its wake. Arnett's new paradigm has received a surge of scholarly attention due to his book that launched the field, Emerging Adulthood. On the 10th Anniversary of the publication of his groundbreaking work, the second edition of Emerging Adulthood fully updates and expands Arnett's findings and includes brand new chapters on media use, social class issues, and the distinctive problems of this life stage. In spite of the challenges they face, Arnett explains that emerging adults are particularly skilled at maintaining contradictory emotions--they are confident while being wary, and optimistic in the face of large degrees of uncertainty. Merging stories from the lives of emerging adults themselves with decades of research, Arnett covers a wide range of topics, including love and sex, relationships with parents, experiences at college and work, and views of what it means to be an adult. He also refutes many of the negative stereotypes about emerging adults today, finding that they are not "lazy" but remarkably hard-working in most cases, and not "selfish" but rather concerned with making a contribution to improving the world. As the nature of American youth and the meaning of adulthood further evolve, Emerging Adulthood will continue to be essential reading for understanding the face of modern America.--Publisher description Contents......Page 11 1. A Longer Road to Adulthood......Page 15 2. What Is It Like to Be an Emerging Adult? Four Profiles......Page 39 3. From Conflict to Companionship: A New Relationship With Parents......Page 59 4. Love and Sex......Page 85 5. Meandering Toward Marriage......Page 109 6. The Road Through College: Twists and Turns......Page 131 7. Work: More Than a Job......Page 155 8. Sources of Meaning: Religious Beliefs and Values......Page 177 9. The Age of Possibilities: Four Case Studies......Page 201 10. From Emerging Adulthood to Young Adulthood: What Does It Mean to Become an Adult?......Page 219 Notes......Page 241 References......Page 259 C......Page 271 K......Page 272 S......Page 273 Y......Page 274 A......Page 275 C......Page 276 E......Page 277 I......Page 278 M......Page 279 P......Page 280 S......Page 281 Y......Page 282 "Merging stories from the lives of emerging adults themselves with the findings from years of research, Emerging Adulthood covers a wide range of topics, including love and sex, relationships with parents, experiences at college and work, and views of what it means to be an adult. As the nature of American youth, American society, and the meaning of adulthood continue to evolve, Emerging Adulthood is indispensable reading for anyone wanting to understand the face of modern America."--Jacket. Preface 1. A longer road to adulthood2. What is it like to be an emerging adult: Four portraits3. From conflict to companionship: A new relationship with parents4. Love and sex5. Meandering toward marriage6. The road through college: Twists and turns7. Work: More than a job8. Sources of meaning: Religious beliefs and values9. The age of possibilities: Four case studies10. From emerging adulthood to young adulthood: What does it meant to become an adult?References Index 'Emerging Adulthood' explores the author's concept of a new phase in life, between adolescence and young adulthood, characterised by a process of identity exploration, instability, possibility, self-focus, and a substantial sense of limbo THE PAST FEW DECADES A QUIET revolution has taken place for young people in American society, so quiet that it has been noticed only gradually and incompletely.