Emerging Adulthood

Abstract This is the original book presenting the theory of emerging adulthood, which offered a new conception of development from the late teens through the 20s. The book presents emerging adulthood as a new life stage that has arisen over the past half century in developed countries. It is not merely “late adolescence,” because emerging adults are not going through puberty, are not as dependent on their parents, and are not minors under the law. Nor is it the beginning of a settled “young adulthood” in which the structure of an adult life has been built that is likely to continue for decades to come. Instead, emerging adulthood is a life stage in which explorations and instability are the norm. As they focus…