Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens through the TwentiesRecently 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. |
From inside the book
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Page vi
... graduate students conduct interviews with Latinos in Los Angeles and with African Americans in New Orleans. The more research I did, the more I talked to people in their twenties, the less satisfied I became with describing their ...
... graduate students conduct interviews with Latinos in Los Angeles and with African Americans in New Orleans. The more research I did, the more I talked to people in their twenties, the less satisfied I became with describing their ...
Page 3
... graduate or professional school . Job changes are frequent , as young people look for work that will not only pay well but will also be personally fulfilling . For today's young people , the road to adulthood is a long one . They leave ...
... graduate or professional school . Job changes are frequent , as young people look for work that will not only pay well but will also be personally fulfilling . For today's young people , the road to adulthood is a long one . They leave ...
Page 5
... higher education. An exceptionally high proportion of young people, about two thirds, now enter college after graduating from high school.4. Figure 1.1. Median U.S. Marriage Age, 1950–2000. A Longer Road to Adulthood • 5.
... higher education. An exceptionally high proportion of young people, about two thirds, now enter college after graduating from high school.4. Figure 1.1. Median U.S. Marriage Age, 1950–2000. A Longer Road to Adulthood • 5.
Page 6
... graduating from high school.4 This is a higher proportion than ever before in American history. Among those who graduate from college, about one third go on to graduate school the follow- ing year.5 Most young people wait until they ...
... graduating from high school.4 This is a higher proportion than ever before in American history. Among those who graduate from college, about one third go on to graduate school the follow- ing year.5 Most young people wait until they ...
Page 7
... graduate school girls now excel over boys . Fifty - six percent of the undergraduates in America's colleges and universities are women , according to the most recent figures . Young women's occupational possibilities are now virtually ...
... graduate school girls now excel over boys . Fifty - six percent of the undergraduates in America's colleges and universities are women , according to the most recent figures . Young women's occupational possibilities are now virtually ...
Contents
3 | |
2 What Is It Like to Be an Emerging Adult? Four Profiles | 27 |
A New Relationship With Parents | 47 |
4 Love and Sex | 73 |
5 Meandering Toward Marriage | 97 |
Twists and Turns | 119 |
More Than a Job | 143 |
Religious Beliefs and Values | 165 |
Four Case Studies | 189 |
What Does It Mean to Become an Adult? | 207 |
Notes | 229 |
References | 247 |
Index of Names | 259 |
General Index | 263 |
Other editions - View all
Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens through the Twenties Jeffrey Jensen Arnett No preview available - 2004 |
Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens Through the Twenties Jeffrey Jensen Arnett No preview available - 2004 |
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