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.

Customer Reviews:

a critical guide to understanding years 18 to 25

By JLT - January 17, 2005

This book is a critical guide. It is useful for understanding the experiences, the challenges, and the potential of those who have left adolescence and have not yet entered adulthood.

I have read this book thoroughly and have recommended it to many. As a professor of psychology, I assigned this book to my students last semester. The reviews of the book were unanimous-- Dr. Arnett 'has some how stepped inside my brain, experienced my 21-year-old life, and has written a book about exactly....me.'This book is not a self-help book, but instead provides emerging adults with research and information about development during these years. Students found the most helpful aspect of this book to be the way that Dr. Arnett has described emerging adulthood as a normative stage of development, rather than a cohort experience (think "Gen X") associated with low productivity and apathy.

Many students have told me that their Baby Boomer parents found this book most helpful in... read more

A "must" for parents

By Susan - August 27, 2004

I am the mother of two daughters, ages 22 and 17. I have always read parenting books in order to understand the stages of development my children were going through. But until Dr. Arnett's book came out, I knew of nothing to help me comprehend "emerging adulthood," a very confusing life stage I never experienced myself. (I knew exactly what I wanted to study when I started college, married at 21, and got a full-time job in my field immediately after graduation.) The attitudes of my older daughter and her friends often baffled me during her college years, and they continue to do so now that she has graduated. I was also surprised by the behavior I observed when visiting the university my younger daughter will be attending soon.

In general, I try not to be judgmental or to give my children advice unless they ask for it. This strategy has worked well in the past. But until I read Dr. Arnett's book, I found it increasingly difficult to "keep my mouth shut" as I listened... read more

Very engaging and informative book

By GenMe - July 28, 2005

The biggest surprise about Emerging Adulthood is that it wasn't published by a trade press -- it should have been. Although also chock full of great research, this is a very accessible and engaging read. The interviews with young people are suburb, as are the illustrations and the surveys on important issues. The "Twixter" phenomenon of young people taking longer to find their way has been around for awhile, and this is the first book to really capture it in all its facets. The chapter on religion alone is worth the price of the book -- it cuts through media hype about growing fundamentalism to show that actually, most young people aren't all that religious. Parents or teachers, buy this book if you want to understand your twentysomething kids. Twentysomethings, buy this book to see that you are not alone.