Is Emerging Adulthood a New Developmental Phase?

Abstract

In 2000, Jeffrey Arnett, a developmental research psychologist, proposed a new phase of development that he called “emerging adulthood.” He delineated developmental challenges centered on identity, role exploration, and subjective experience and linked his observations to changes in the demographics and culture of contemporary society. This proposal elicited an extraordinary response in the research community, but the reaction among psychoanalysts has been tepid at best: developmental phases have not been amended for almost a century, and in some schools the very notion of such phases has been discredited. Adult development has historically attracted mostly lifespan psychoanalysts, and the concept of identity has never achieved full psychoanalytic status. But both adulthood and identity merit psychoanalytic legitimacy: adulthood because it looms in the mind as a meaningful endpoint that shapes earlier stages, and identity because it is a complex, organizing aspect of self-representation. The concept of emerging adulthood, too, has sufficient validity and heuristic value to be considered a developmental phase, provided we loosen our fixed ideas about what constitutes “developmental” and take a fresh look at the sweep of human development as it is shaping up in a transformed world.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in the transition between adolescence and adulthood

“…During this phase, young adults often face multiple life transitions simultaneously and struggle between seeking independence from parental control and deferring to their parents for advice about important topics including health care. [9][10][11] As a result, parents may continue to play an important role in HPV vaccine decision-making among young adults. [12][13][14] Prior survey-based studies have shown that HPV vaccination among young adults is influenced by perceived benefits of vaccination, 15 recommendations from providers, 13,15,16 parents and social networks.…”

From Self-Doubt to Pride: Understanding the Empowering Effects of Delivering School-Based Wellness Programmes for Emerging Adult Facilitators—A Qualitative Study

“…Arnett saw these processes as not only identifying the zeitgeist of a given generation as it approaches maturity but insisted that the cohort he studied represented a new developmental phase that would be repeated in subsequent generations [ 49 ]. If this is so, learning how to help emerging adults actualise themselves and contribute to others at lower personal costs remains a crucial mission.…”

Sex at Sea: Undergraduates’ Perceptions of Sexual Relationships During Their Semester at Sea Voyage

“…For a growing number of people in the United States, the developmental stage of emerging adulthood (ages 18-25) coincides with their "college experience" (Arnett, 2006;Schwartz, 2016). Emerging adulthood is often a time for identity exploration, characterized by an eagerness for new experiences and a high level of self-focus (Arnett, 2000(Arnett, , 2006Syed, 2016;Gilmore, 2019). One way that college students experiment with their newfound freedom is by engaging in transient, casual sexual relationships (Bogle 2008;Gilmore, 2019).…”

“…Emerging adulthood is often a time for identity exploration, characterized by an eagerness for new experiences and a high level of self-focus (Arnett, 2000(Arnett, , 2006Syed, 2016;Gilmore, 2019). One way that college students experiment with their newfound freedom is by engaging in transient, casual sexual relationships (Bogle 2008;Gilmore, 2019). Previous findings indicate that up to three-quarters of undergraduates have had casual sex (Paul et al, 2000), with nearly one third having done so within the last year (Fielder et al, 2013).…”