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Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens Through the Twenties (2nd edition)

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Abstract

Since 1960, the lives of young people in their late teens and twenties have changed so dramatically that a new stage of life has developed. In his provocative work, Jeffrey Jensen Arnett has identified the period of emerging adulthood as distinct from both the adolescence that precedes it and the young adulthood that comes in its wake. Arnett's new theory has created an entire thriving field of research due to his book that launched the field, Emerging Adulthood. On the 10th Anniversary of the publication of his groundbreaking work, the second edition of Emerging Adulthood fully updates and expands Arnett's findings and includes brand new chapters on media use, social class issues, and the distinctive problems of this life stage. Merging stories from the lives of emerging adults themselves with decades of research, Arnett covers a wide range of other topics as well, including love and sex, relationships with parents, experiences at college and work, and views of what it means to be an adult. As the nature of growing up and the meaning of adulthood further evolve, Emerging Adulthood will continue to be essential reading for understanding ages 18-29.
... The results of this study provide significant implications for guidance and counseling practices within educational institutions, particularly in addressing the challenges of the quarter life crisis (QLC) among university students. The QLC is a critical developmental stage characterized by anxiety, uncertainty, and indecision, which can negatively affect students' personal, academic, and career trajectories (Arnett, 2014;Robinson et al., 2020). In this context, counselors play a pivotal role in guiding students through this transition and mitigating the negative effects of QLC. ...
... Research has demonstrated that self-compassion reduces self-criticism and promotes emotional well-being, making it an effective strategy for coping with life challenges (Neff, 2003;Husain, 2022). By helping students develop selfcompassion, counselors can foster a mindset of self-kindness, self-acceptance, and emotional balance, which are critical for navigating the uncertainties of early adulthood (Arnett, 2014). Moreover, psychological well-being is closely related to an individual's ability to cope with emotional exhaustion and insecurity, which are common in QLC (Ryff & Singer, 2008). ...
Article
This study explores the relationship between psychological well-being, self-compassion, and the experience of quarter life crisis (QLC) among students in the Department of Guidance and Counselling at the State University of Malang (classes of 2020 to 2023). QLC is a period of anxiety and uncertainty commonly faced by individuals transitioning into early adulthood, marked by fear of the future and indecision. The research aims to determine how psychological well-being and self-compassion can reduce the effects of QLC in university students. Using a correlational design, the study sampled 86 students, selected through proportionate stratified random sampling. The Psychological Well-Being Scale, Self-Compassion Scale, and Quarter Life Crisis Scale were used for data collection. Analysis showed that both psychological well-being and self-compassion had a significant negative impact on QLC. Higher levels of psychological well-being and self-compassion were linked to lower QLC levels, with psychological well-being contributing 53.8% and self-compassion contributing 49.1%. Together, these variables explained 59.8% of the variation in QLC. The findings highlight the need to promote psychological well-being and self-compassion in education to help students cope with QLC. Guidance and counselling programmes can focus on these areas to support students' emotional resilience, self-acceptance, and decision-making. This research adds to the understanding of protective factors against QLC, suggesting further exploration of additional variables and different student populations.
... Lors de la transition de l'adolescence à la vie adulte, les jeunes personnes se positionnent dans la société et dans leur communauté. Graduellement, elles développent un sentiment de cohérence sociale et de confiance envers les autres et envers elles-mêmes (Arnett 2014) qui est essentiel à l'engagement civique (Brehm et Rahn 1997 ;Putnam et autres 1992). Enfin, le capital culturel détenu pourrait également favoriser l'engagement. ...
Experiment Findings
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Ce fascicule brosse un portrait de facteurs mesurés de l’enfance au début de la vie adulte qui contribuent à l’engagement civique des jeunes adultes. Deux formes d’activités d’engagement civique sont examinées, soit l’engagement social (p. ex. offrir de l’aide dans son entourage, faire des dons ou du bénévolat) et la participation politique non électorale (p. ex. signer des pétitions ou boycotter un produit). Les données proviennent de l’Étude longitudinale du développement des enfants du Québec, 1re édition (ELDEQ 1), une étude de cohorte représentative des jeunes nés au Québec en 1997-1998. Les données recueillies à différents moments de la vie sont mises en lien avec ces deux formes d’engagement civique mesurées lors de la collecte de données qui a eu lieu de février à juin 2021, alors que les jeunes avaient 23 ans. La probabilité de s’engager socialement à 23 ans est plus élevée, notamment, chez les jeunes : dont la mère prenait part à des activités communautaires après la fin de ses études ; qui, à 20 ans, avaient réalisé des activités d’engagement social ou avaient une orientation politique définie ; qui, à 23 ans, étaient aux études ou vivaient avec leurs parents. La probabilité de participation politique non électorale à 23 ans est plus élevée chez les jeunes : qui, à 20 ans, avaient réalisé des activités d’engagement social ou politiques non électorales ou accordaient de l’importance à la justice sociale et à l’environnement ; qui, à 21 ans, avaient discuté avec des personnes ayant des opinions politiques divergentes ; qui étaient aux études à 23 ans.
... Emerging adulthood is a time of increased autonomy and maturity following adolescence. Yet, like adolescence, it is also characterized as a unique time of transition, identity development, and enhanced focus on social relationships (Arnett, 2014;Arnett et al., 2014). Voulgaridou and Kokkinos (2023) describe more sophisticated social understanding, enhanced negative consequences of more physical forms of aggression, and increased importance of social standing to one's self and identity as reasons to focus on adolescents' relational aggression (see also Card et al., 2008;Yoon et al., 2004). ...
Article
Research on relational aggression in adolescents suggests it is in part driven by the desire to attain and maintain enhanced status among peers, and recent work also suggests certain forms of prosocial behaviors are similarly status-motivated. However, these associations are not well understood in young adults. In this short-term longitudinal study across eight months (N = 215), we examined whether relational aggression and two forms of prosocial behaviors (altruistic and public) are related to social goals for popularity and preference, social status insecurity, and self-perceptions of status (in terms of dominance and prestige) concurrently and over time in emerging adults (age 18-25). Social goals for popularity predicted increases in relational aggression and public prosociality and were negatively related to and predicted decreases in altruistic prosociality. Preference goals were negatively related to and predicted decreases in relational aggression, were negatively related to public prosociality concurrently but not over time, and were positively related to and predicted increases in altruistic prosociality over time. Social status insecurity moderated links between self-perceptions of status and aggressive/prosocial behaviors, which were largely non-significant without considering status insecurity. Findings suggest that strategic use of aggression and prosociality may not be developmentally limited to adolescence.
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This qualitative study examines common stressors and support mechanisms in the lives of a group of 76 young Black members of the LGBTQIA community ages 18–30 years old based on questions to gauge common conflict or problems in their lives, personal support networks, and experiential reflections. Findings are based on the Structure versus Agency discourse and content analysis. In addition to individual agency, results document experiences navigating structural forces that are often intersectional in nature, the importance of family and friendship networks as a mitigating structural force against stressors, as well as the role of religion and/or spirituality in fostering agency.
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Economic abuse, a form of intimate partner violence (IPV), is prevalent and harmful but often difficult to detect. Chinese young adults (ages 18–35) in cohabiting relationships represent a substantial yet under-researched group at a relatively high risk of economic abuse. To enhance understanding of the potential predictors and outcomes of economic abuse in this population, we examined young adults' developmental tasks of exploring finances and romance while planning their ideal future lives. Guided by attachment theory, economic empowerment, and the Vulnerability-Stress-Adaptation (VSA) model, we investigated (1) how romantic attachment orientations and financial behaviors interact in their association with economic abuse and (2) how economic abuse is associated with hopelessness among a sample of Chinese young adults in cohabiting relationships. We used cross-sectional survey data from 445 young adults in Mainland China and employed structural equation modeling to assess our research questions. We found that young adults with avoidant or anxious attachment styles were more likely to experience economic abuse, which was, in turn, associated with higher levels of hopelessness. Additionally, healthy financial behaviors mitigated the association between attachment anxiety and avoidance, economic abuse, and hopelessness. Collectively, our findings advance the understanding of the potential predictors and consequences of economic abuse. They also underscore the importance of financial education in reducing economic abuse and its negative outcomes among Chinese young adults in cohabiting relationships.
Article
Research suggests that Muslim women wearing the hijab may be particularly vulnerable to the experiences of stigmatization as the hijab represents a dominant marker of “otherness.” Using the relational demography perspective, this paper explored the viewpoints of hijab and non‐hijab‐wearing Muslim women in Delhi regarding the different forms of discrimination and/or social isolation they may have experienced. Thematic analysis was used to explore the participant's narratives, gathered by means of six focus group discussions ( n = 38). For the hijab‐wearing group, two emergent themes were evident: “Journey of my hijab” and “The two sides of the hijab.” For the non‐hijab‐wearing group, the emergent themes included: “My name is (un)safe” and “Not Muslim enough.” The study findings can inform the development of intervention strategies to integrate the community more meaningfully by preventing “othering” and providing agency and autonomy.
Chapter
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This chapter analyzes the relationships between life satisfaction and three dimensions of integration: social ties, participation in the labor market, and political participation among the European youth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although it is commonly presumed that a higher level of social integration corresponds to a greater level of life satisfaction it is important to explore whether certain forms of integration may be associated with greater dissatisfaction and frustration. For instance, under certain circumstances, dissatisfaction might motivate greater political participation and involvement in various social networks. In other words, it is of interest to ascertain whether dissatisfaction might, in fact, foster a greater propensity to connect with others and engage in collective actions. We address this problem by using multilevel data. The individual-level data come from the tenth cycle of the European Social Survey (ESS10-2018), conducted across 31 countries during the years 2020–2022. Since our study focuses on youth, a sub-population comprising individuals aged 15–35 years was extracted. In order to control for the contextual-level data, we employed two standard indicators, GINI and GDP per capita. The results show that the various forms of integration—closer social ties, being a member of an ethnic majority, labor market integration, and some forms of political participation (voting)—are associated with greater life satisfaction.
Article
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Background: Asian American (AA) young adults, including AA college students, may experience more suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) compared to other racial and ethnic groups of the same age. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first systematic review of the risk and protective factors for STBs with a focus on AA young adults. Methods: Informed by the social-ecological perspective and the cultural model and theory of suicide, this study systematically reviews the risk and protective factors for STBs among AA young adults. Based on 22 research articles published between 1998 and 2023, we analyzed and discussed the effects of 37 risk and 15 protective factors at the individual, relationship, community, societal, and cultural levels. Results: Most risk factors are at the individual level (e.g., depressive symptoms and hopelessness), followed by factors at the cultural level (e.g., acculturation and acculturative stress), the relationship level (e.g., family problems and romantic relationship problems), the community level (e.g., verbal threats on campus), and the societal level (e.g., public stigma about mental health). Also, most protective factors are at the individual level (e.g., self-reliance and fear of suicide), followed by the relationship level (e.g., social support and family responsibilities), the community level (e.g., religious affiliations), and the cultural level (desire not to burden others). Conclusions: This systematic review emphasizes the need for future research to explore cultural factors, subgroup differences, and longitudinal designs, while advocating for culturally specific prevention and intervention strategies to improve mental health outcomes for AAYAs.
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