Emerging Adults in America : Coming of Age in the 21st Century

An insightful exploration of emerging adulthood in modern America reveals how young people navigate a distinct phase between adolescence and full adulthood. Focused on self-discovery, higher education, shifting relationships, and evolving views on love and family amid changing societal expectations.

Emerging Adults in America: Coming of Age in the 2 st Century portrays the lives of young Americans between adolescence and young adulthood, a distinct developmental stage that editor Jeffrey Jensen Arnett describes as emerging adulthood. Over the past 4 years, the average age of marriage and parenthood has risen dramatically, and the years from the late teens through the mid-2 s are no longer dedicated to settling into traditional adult roles. Instead, the focus has shifted to pursuing higher education, self-exploration, and shaping a future that best suits personal goals and desires.
 
Along with coeditor Jennifer Lynn Tanner, Arnett has compiled a collection of chapters in this groundbreaking work that cover a range of topics from relationships with parents to views about love, sex, and marriage from experiences in college to those in the work place and from religious beliefs to beliefs about the concept of adulthood. This insightful book will be a valuable resource for developmental psychologists, therapists, and mental health practitioners who work with emerging adults and will appeal to young people and their families.