Transitioning into adulthood seems to take on many different forms in many different cultures. However, in the Unites States the argument of whether a new stage of life called emerging adulthood should be considered as a new phase in human development is still being disputed. Some claim that by establishing a new stage of psychological development 20-somethings will be more inclined to draw away from taking up adult responsibilities, but what they fail realize is that by not tending to their needs we are jeopardizing young adults’ ability to take care of the generation ahead of them. In “What Is It about 20-Somethings?”, Robin Marantz Henig claims 20-somethings are avoiding adulthood and by creating a new stage of development they will only …show more content…
Throughout recent years scientists have proved that the brain is also one of the most delicate parts of the human body and if meddled with the wrong way, disastrous psychological effects can follow. A major psychological disorder that many Americans are effected by is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Most individuals acquire it from joining the army, and since the recruitment age for the military is only 18, young adults are being mentally debilitated at a very young age ruining the rest of their adult life. Henig emphasizes that “synaptic pruning intensifies after rapid brain-cell proliferation during childhood and again in the period that encompasses adolescence and the 20s.” (Henig 204). She also notes that the limbic system, the part of the brain that controls emotions, is still maturing well after puberty. As a result, with there being overwhelming evidence of continued brain development in emerging adults, establishments like the government will have to amend certain policies that give 18-25 year olds societal responsibilities. So, the age to enter the military and even vote may have to be risen and although this may sound like a negative effect of emerging adulthood, it will help 20-somethings to focus more on themselves and plan for their transition into adulthood. Additionally, by changing policies like the …show more content…
By helping 20-somethings to transition into adulthood the generation cycle will function more smoothly, in other words the links of the bicycle chain will be more strongly held together. Henig argues “The traditional cycle seems to have gone off course, as young people remain untethered to romantic partner or to a permanent home, going back to school for lack of better options, traveling, avoiding commitments, competing ferociously for unpaid internships or temporary (and often grueling) Teach for America jobs, forestalling the beginning of adult life.” (Henig 199). On the other hand, Arnett states “Today young people don’t expect to marry until their late 20s, don’t expect to start a family until their 30s, don’t expect to be on track for a rewarding career until much later than their parents were. So they make decisions about their futures that reflect this wider time horizon. Many of them would not be ready to take on the trappings of adulthood any earlier even if the opportunity arose; they haven’t braced themselves for it.” (Henig 205). While Henig is displaying that 20-somethings are purposefully procrastinating their emergence into adulthood and slowing down the generation cycle, Arnett is asserting that emerging adults don’t have the necessary guidance on how
♂ (Ages: 33 yrs.- 40yrs.) Culminating Life Structure for Early Adulthood ("Settling Down"): Implementing a societal niche;
emerging adults report that they get along better with their parents now than they did in their mid-teens (Arnett, 2015, p. 51 ). Most parents feel they have a better relationship now with their emerging adult children now too . The national Clark poll shows that 55% of emerging adults have daily or almost daily contact with their parents (Arnett, 2015, p. 50). Parents and children have more frequent contact and enjoy spending more free time together (Gillen, 2015)
In the article, “Facing Challenges Is Part of Growing Up,” Taylor Tepper, a reporter at Money, discusses the reasons for why delaying adulthood is not smart. In response, Jessica Grose, a journalist and novelist, explains her reasons for why it is smart to delay adulthood in her article, “For Many Millennials, Children Are Out of Reach”. Both Grose and Tepper wrote their articles for the opinions page in the New York Times. The use of ethos, pathos, and logos in Tepper’s article appeals more to the audience than Grose’s article, which focuses mainly on ethos and logos, because he is more likely to be trusted due to his use of personal experiences relevant to the topic of adulthood.
American teenagers are often criticized for being irresponsible and immature. Some in the older generation will also state that kids are taking too long to move out of the house. These views of young adults are pessimistic and demeaning to the current generation. While the adolescent stage has been extended, American kids are taking an ample amount of time to accept the responsibilities of becoming an adult.
J. J. Arnett argues his theory about a developmental stage individuals go through of 18-25 year olds as a new concept, (Arnett, 2000, pp. 469). He describes emerging adulthood as being a sustained period of time where this age group, as mentioned previously, explores their roles preceding being an adult. These movements can include events similarly by taking longer than previous years to get married and have children, moving back in with their parents at a point during this age span, exploring self-identities, not feeling like an adult and feelings of self-failure. James E. Cote, who is a previous colleague of Arnett argues the opposite about this concept being an unexperienced developmental stage Arnett calls, “Emerging Adulthood”. Cote states
Emerging Adulthood represents the period of development from late teens through their twenties, mainly focusing on the ages 18-25. This is the period which people start exploring and realizing the capabilities of their lives, which then helps them characterize as adults and no longer teenagers. This topic of psychology is compelling to me because it’s a stage that every adult has lived through, it’s interesting that we have all experienced it differently based on our life circumstances and demographics. It’s interesting to see the changes throughout the years and eventually it will be easier for young people to explore these years as more young adults are going to school nowadays. It teaches me to further understand why emerging adults go through
Extensive demographic and cultural shifts have taken place over the past few decades that have made late adolescence and early twenties into a new transitional developmental period known as emerging adulthood for young individuals across industrialized societies. Arnett (2000) argues that emerging adulthood is a “distinct period of the life course” that is “characterized by change and exploration of possible life directions” (469). Additionally, a critical area of identity exploration during emerging adulthood is love and romantic relationships. Arnett contends that “demographic changes in the timing of marriage and parenthood in recent decades has led to prolonged periods of adolescence and delayed adulthood transitions” (470). By postponing
As we have already learned about how our body and mind develops through our younger years of life and how important those years are to our development, we will be now taking a dive into the importance of adulthood. The transitional phase of emerging adulthood is very important to ones growth. What is emerging adulthood you might ask? “Emerging adulthood is a time when people continue learning and exploring, postponing marriage, parenthood, and career while preparing for the rest of life” (Berger, 2015, p. 389). This is a critical time for growth due to many of the developments someone will go through. I will be focusing on the aspect of body development throughout the emerging adulthood phase.
"Middle age is when your classmates are so old and wrinkled and bald, they don’t recognize you". -Bennett Cerf
Middle adulthood is a complex time period that requires a multidimensional outlook to understand all of the processes and changes that are taking place. The many changes during middle adulthood include physical, cognitive and social differences. Many of these changes create significant stress and it is important to understand ways of coping with the anxiety. Many of these coping mechanisms include mindfulness and cultivating a sense of self-efficacy and mastery (pg. 482). There are many changes during middle adulthood that may require stress management techniques and interventions.
Adulthood has often been associated with independence. It serves as a turning point in life where one has to take responsibility for oneself and no longer being dependent on his or her family. Early adulthood, usually begins from late teens or early twenties and will last until the thirties (Santrock, 2013). Early adulthood revolves around changes and exploration while middle and late adulthood are more of stability. The transition from adolescence and adulthood differs among every individual. The onset of the transition is determined by many factors such as culture, family background, and the personality of the individual. Emerging adulthood (as cited in Santrock, 2014) is the term to describe the transition period from adolescence to adulthood.
Research has suggested that youth of today are taking longer to complete the transition into adulthood. Twenty-five years ago, youth had more of a traditional model of transition, whereas today, the transition seems somewhat fractured. Changes in education and the benefit system may be responsible for the altered state of transition in current youth, (Keep, 2011) which is an assumption that will be investigated further. Therefore, this essay will explore youth transition and will look at how the restructuring of policies and legislations have affected youth transition into adulthood. Additionally, there will be some insight into whether these changes are responsible for the deterioration of the traditional transition model.
Virtue Ethics Introduction Aristotle and Confucius are two of the world’s greatest philosophers. They gave assertions in their time that continue to guide thinking to this day. One of the areas in which they focused is ethics and with it virtue ethics. Both of them had an approach to the subject that continues to fascinate the world. Some of the aspects were similar, but there are fundamental differences in the way they address the issue.
As my peers and I enter the stage of emerging adulthood, we have to begin thinking about what each of us needs to do as individuals to remain healthy and happy in our days on Earth. As of now many of us are in school; pursuing the degree that will be used as a tool to get the job we want. Regardless of the path in life we choose, however; there are a few general categories that we need to work on fulfilling in order to (in theory) lead healthy lives. Throughout this paper I will be using information from the MSU Dept of Health and Human Development well-being model, as well as information form the chapters about adulthood in the textbook “Experiencing the Lifespan”, and seeing how my life matches up with the ideas presented in these sources.
Becoming an adult, also known as young adulthood, is a very crucial stage in one’s life. This is the climax of physical and health processes. This is the point in life when we make plans of our futures. It is the time when we think of what life will be like as an adult and make plans for the future. Most importantly, it is when we lay the starting point for developmental changes that we will undergo throughout our lives. An adult is a person who is fully grown or developed. Some people believe that you become an adult when you are 18 years old, other believe you are an adult when you can legally buy and consume alcohol, that is, at age 21 in the United States. Others believe that you are an adult when you are supporting yourself