Emerging Adulthood
Dr. Arnett’s main area of scholarship is emerging adulthood, the age period from the late teens to the mid-twenties. Dr. Arnett coined the term and presented a theory of emerging adulthood in a widely-cited article in American Psychologist in 2000. According to Dr. Arnett, in the past half century what most people experience during the years from age 18 to 29 has changed dramatically in industrialized societies. Instead of entering marriage and parenthood in their very early twenties, most people now postpone these transitions until around age 30, and spend their late teens and their twenties in self-focused exploration as they try out different possibilities in love and work. Essentially, a new developmental stage has been created between adolescence and young adulthood that has its own distinctive features. Scholarly attention to this period has boomed in recent years, and it is now widely referred to among scholars as emerging adulthood. The Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood (ssea.org) has hundreds of members worldwide and holds bi-annual conferences.
Books
Emerging Adulthood:
The Winding Road from the Late Teens through the Twenties
Publish Date: 2024 (3rd Edition), Oxford University Press.
Dr. Arnett first published this book in 2004, summarizing his first decade of research on ages 18 to 29. The book has become the foundation text in the field of emerging adulthood and has also been widely read by parents, educators and therapists. The success of the 1st edition led to a 2nd edition in 2015 and a 3rd edition in 2024, updated and expanded each time. The book covers a wide range of topics, including relations with parents, love and sex, education and work, media use, problems and resilience, and cultural variations.
Use the code ASPROMP8 to get a 30% discount at Oxford University Press (global.oup.com/academic).
Getting to 30
A Parent’s Guide to the 20-Something Years
Publish Date: 2014 (Reprint edition), Workman Publishing Company
It is the book that addresses the new reality for parents of kids in their 20s and the issues that everyone in the media is talking about: When will this new generation of 20-somethings leave home, find love, start a career, settle down—grow up? And it's the book that will soothe your nerves. It’s loaded with information about what to expect and guidance on what to do when problems arise (as they probably will). In other words, this is the book parents need—Getting to 30, by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, the world's leading authority on the post-adolescent phase he named emerging adulthood, and Elizabeth Fishel, author of Sisters and other books.
Articles
American psychologist, 2000 — psycnet.apa.org
Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties
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Child development perspectives, 2007 — Wiley Online Library
Emerging adulthood: What is it, and what is it good for?
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Oxford handbook of human development and culture: An interdisciplinary perspective, 2015 — Oxford University Press
The Cultural Psychology of Emerging Adulthood
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Media Interviews
Featured Interview
August 18, 2010
What Is It About 20-Somethings?
The New York Times
When a kid becomes an adult, a new, confusing stage of the parent-child relationship begins, yet there’s little guidance to help families navigate it.
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March 25, 2024
Parenting young adults in the US
AARP / Economist Impact
What it means to parent has evolved over the years, reflecting shifts in societal norms, expectations, and significant demographic and economic changes observed globally and in the United States (US). As changing socio-demographic landscapes shape young adults’ (aged 18-34) paths to self-sufficiency and financial independence, more and more parents find themselves engaged in their children’s lives more intensely and longer than expected.
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February 20, 2024
“Emerging Adulthood and Identity” with Dr. Jeffrey Arnett
Adventurous Minds Podcast
Who am I? If you've ever thought about this fundamental question, you're in the right spot. It turns out, understanding your personal identity is crucial to your overall health and wellbeing. It also may be the hardest time in human history to figure it out.
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September 6, 2022
There Is No Road Map for the Longest Phase of Parenthood
The Atlantic Magazine
When a kid becomes an adult, a new, confusing stage of the parent-child relationship begins, yet there’s little guidance to help families navigate it.
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July 3, 2020
Generation Covid?
BBC News
Professor Jeffrey Jensen Arnett is interviewed for this podcast about how COVID-19 has impacted Emerging Adults. His interview begins at approximately the 9:00 mark.
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July 1, 2020
What It’s Like to Enter the Workforce From Your Childhood Bedroom
The New York Times
They studied for years to get full-time jobs. Now, They’re right back where they started.
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July 16, 2020
The class of Covid-19: meet the school leavers facing an uncertain future
The Guardian (UK)
Losing your freedom and autonomy just as you are trying to make your mark in the world can feel devastatingly limiting. ‘Emerging adulthood is the period when people are trying to reach lift-off in their adult lives.' (Yahoo! Style UK, Yahoo! News UK, MSN News UK, and Yahoo! Finance UK)
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