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 v
... reached adulthood. I began to wonder, how and when do other people feel they have reached adulthood? It occurred to me that there is no social or communal ritual in American society to mark that passage. Instead, it is left to each of ...
... reached adulthood. I began to wonder, how and when do other people feel they have reached adulthood? It occurred to me that there is no social or communal ritual in American society to mark that passage. Instead, it is left to each of ...
Page vi
... adulthood. Yes, the transition to adulthood takes place during this period, but that term does not begin to cover all that is going on in their lives from the time they leave high school to the time they reach full adulthood. Calling it ...
... adulthood. Yes, the transition to adulthood takes place during this period, but that term does not begin to cover all that is going on in their lives from the time they leave high school to the time they reach full adulthood. Calling it ...
Page 4
... reached adulthood. It is a new and historically unprecedented period of the life course, so it requires a new term and a new way of thinking; I call it emerging adulthood. Many Americans have noticed the change in how young people expe ...
... reached adulthood. It is a new and historically unprecedented period of the life course, so it requires a new term and a new way of thinking; I call it emerging adulthood. Many Americans have noticed the change in how young people expe ...
Page 6
... adult obligations, and most of them will have done so by the time they reach age 30. It is just that, in their late teens and early twenties, they ponder these obligations and think, “Yes, but not yet.” Adult- hood and its obligations ...
... adult obligations, and most of them will have done so by the time they reach age 30. It is just that, in their late teens and early twenties, they ponder these obligations and think, “Yes, but not yet.” Adult- hood and its obligations ...
Page 9
... adulthood rather than adolescence . Although research on identity formation has focused mainly on adolescence , this research has shown that identity achievement has rarely been reached by the end of high school and that identity ...
... adulthood rather than adolescence . Although research on identity formation has focused mainly on adolescence , this research has shown that identity achievement has rarely been reached by the end of high school and that identity ...
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 |
Common terms and phrases
adolescence African Americans Arnett Asian Americans becoming an adult believe better boyfriend career Catholic Cathy Guisewite chapter child childhood Chinese American choice church cohabitation collectivism collectivistic commitment course decide deists divorce dreams early twenties enter college entering marriage especially ethnic group experience father friends goals Goldscheider graduate happy high school hope identity explorations important Internet dating kids kind late teens late twenties Latinos leaving home less living at home look love partners Lynn Johnston major marriage and parenthood married McJobs mean mother move parents divorced person Popenoe & Whitehead possible premarital premarital sex reach emerging adulthood reached adulthood relationship religious beliefs responsibilities rience self-focused sexual sexual intercourse sexual revolution social someone stressful teens and early There’s things transition to adulthood values young adulthood young women