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
... high school to the time they reach full adulthood. Calling it the “transition to adulthood” seemed to dimin- ish it, as if it were merely a brief passage connecting the two more impor- tant periods of adolescence and young adulthood ...
... high school to the time they reach full adulthood. Calling it the “transition to adulthood” seemed to dimin- ish it, as if it were merely a brief passage connecting the two more impor- tant periods of adolescence and young adulthood ...
Page 3
... school . Job changes are frequent , as young people look for work that will not only pay well but will also be ... high hopes and big dreams . However , it is also a time of anxiety and uncer- tainty , because the lives of young people ...
... school . Job changes are frequent , as young people look for work that will not only pay well but will also be ... high hopes and big dreams . However , it is also a time of anxiety and uncer- tainty , because the lives of young people ...
Page 5
... 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.
... 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
... 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 have finished school ...
... 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 have finished school ...
Page 7
... high early in the 20th century and throughout the 19th century.11 What is different now is that young people are freer than they were in the past to use the intervening years , between the end of secondary school and entry into marriage ...
... high early in the 20th century and throughout the 19th century.11 What is different now is that young people are freer than they were in the past to use the intervening years , between the end of secondary school and entry into marriage ...
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 |
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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