Emerging Adulthood

Jacob Sutton
Dr. Mirskin,



In a way, the years of your life during the period of emerging adulthood are the most important.  it is the period between youth and true adulthood, where you try on different roles to try to find your true self.  Let's say you're spending time trying to find what to wear to a date.  You try on your dark blue suit... too preppy for your date.  You give the "causal look" a try... no,  that's not right either.    Then all of a sudden, a lightbulb goes off in your head and you go with some jeans and black button down shirt.  So in a sense, the period of emerging adulthood is like trying on clothes.  It can be a very stressful experience, but somehow you find the perfect things to wear.

The article Emerging Adulthood by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett discusses the development of teenagers from ages 18-25.  Much of the article gets it totally right.  So far for myself, emerging adulthood has been a stage of self discovery, maturity, and growth.  The article talks about emerging adulthood as "the most volitional years of life".  You are not a child and you cannot just do whatever you pleas, but you are not a true adult yet as you still sometimes tend to rely on other adults in your life (especially financially".  Instead of being confined to these age related roles, you are forced to come into your own and find yourself.

This article directly relates to Gail Sheehy's Passages.  Basically, as you emerge into adulthood, you may not realize it, but you are going through one big passage.  Through periods of growth, change, and many major setbacks, you are given the tools that you need in order to go out into the real world and grow into the standards and roles of adults, because you are discovering yourself.



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