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
Results 1-5 of 27
Page v
... transition to adulthood.” Sociologists defined the transition to adulthood in terms of distinct events, specifically, finishing education, entering full-time work, marriage, and parenthood. This seemed perfectly reasonable to me. My own ...
... transition to adulthood.” Sociologists defined the transition to adulthood in terms of distinct events, specifically, finishing education, entering full-time work, marriage, and parenthood. This seemed perfectly reasonable to me. My own ...
Page vi
... transition to adulthood more in terms of transition events, like the sociologists did. But when I surveyed and interviewed them, I came up with the same results as I had for the college students, and there were very few differences by ...
... transition to adulthood more in terms of transition events, like the sociologists did. But when I surveyed and interviewed them, I came up with the same results as I had for the college students, and there were very few differences by ...
Page 4
... transitions historically associated with adult status— especially marriage and parenthood—and many of them feel they have not yet reached adulthood. It is a new and historically unprecedented period of the life course, so it requires a ...
... transitions historically associated with adult status— especially marriage and parenthood—and many of them feel they have not yet reached adulthood. It is a new and historically unprecedented period of the life course, so it requires a ...
Page 8
... transition, neither adoles- cent nor adult. 5. It is the age of possibilities, when hopes flourish, when people have an unparalleled opportunity to transform their lives. Let's look at each of these features in turn. The Age of Identity ...
... transition, neither adoles- cent nor adult. 5. It is the age of possibilities, when hopes flourish, when people have an unparalleled opportunity to transform their lives. Let's look at each of these features in turn. The Age of Identity ...
Page 17
... transition to adulthood,” if we want to emphasize that it is a transi- tional period between adolescence and young ... transitions such as finishing education, marriage, and parenthood. They were students, so clearly they had not ...
... transition to adulthood,” if we want to emphasize that it is a transi- tional period between adolescence and young ... transitions such as finishing education, marriage, and parenthood. They were students, so clearly they had not ...
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 |
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