Emerging Adulthood

Brandi McCormick

                                        02/13/2017

                                          PSY/205

                                University of Phoenix

        As Arnett (2007) describes it, “emerging adulthood can be defined as an age of identity exploration. Young people are deciding who they are and what they want out of work, school and love”. It’s the age of instability age of self-focus, age of feeling in between and the age of possibilities (Arnett2007). The initial purpose of Arnett’s theory was to bring attention to the age period from the late teens to the early 20’s as a new period of life in reference to development psychology with a concentration on developmental characteristics. This theory is the new era theory of developmental Psychology which was first proposed by Eric Erickson’s. With emerging adulthood come the difference in expectations comes the difference in expectations in different cultures. Not everyone has the same values morals or expectations. “More traditional, non-Western cultures may have a shortened period of emerging adulthood, or no emerging adulthood at all, because these cultures tend to place greater emphasis on practices that lead to an earlier transition to adulthood”. So emerging adulthood doesn’t exist in all cultures and if it does it is viewed and practiced differently. Middle adulthood is a transition to social, psychological, economic, and biological transitions.

In my culture the expectations of emerging adulthood are that of inconsistent in my opinion because emerging adulthood is seen mainly in developed countries so here in the United States where young people obtain education and the average age of entering into marriage and parenthood are around thirty. But there are still variation’s in emerging adulthood in the African American culture. Mainly because of the statistics and views around those of minority like that of lazy, criminals and drug dealers. Today emerging adulthood is mainly only seen in middle class elite families. So in the African American culture emerging adulthood is seen as something that some experience very early because of unwanted situations as far as teen pregnancy and forced into adulthood because of certain circumstances like foster care homelessness and forced into work at an early age to help parents with bills. Most young people in my culture had entered stable adult roles in love and work by their early teens/early twenties. Relatively pursued education or training beyond secondary school, and, consequently, most young men and women are full-time workers by the end their early teens to survive.  College and continued education is seen and obtainable but tends to be expensive as well as time consuming some need to work while attending school and this can sometimes become too stressful and the dropout rate is high.

Arnett (2004) “Recently as 1970, the typical 21-year-old was married or about to be married, caring for a newborn child or expecting one soon, done with education or about to be done, and settled into a long-term job or the role of full-time mother. Young people of that time grew up quickly and made serious enduring choices about their lives at a relatively early age. Today, the life of a typical 21-year-old is vastly different. Marriage is at least five years off, often more. And family life is usually very sooner that of years ago. Education may last several more years, through an extended undergraduate program-the "four-year degree" in five, six, or more-and perhaps graduate or professional school. Job changes are frequent, as young people look for work that will not only pay well but will also be personally fulfilling”  (Arnett, 2007, para. 3).

Implications on the transition to Middle Adulthood which is a time of transition, when people’s lives are changing rapidly. And life experiences are starting to happen that that are brand new and a lot that are life changing. And the challenges of the transition to middle adulthood are greater today than ever before.  And this change is mainly due to the new markets as well as growing technology. And these new ideas and lifestyles that can conflict with traditional norms and values.  “Regardless of how the globalization debate is resolved, it is clear that as broad global forces transform the world in which the next generation will live and work, the choices that today’s young people make or others make on their behalf will facilitate or constrain their success as adults. Traditional expectations regarding future employment prospects and life experiences are no longer valid” (The Changing Transitions to Adulthood in developing Countries.).

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