Emerging Adulthood as a Critical Stage in the Life Course

This article draws on qualitative data of U.S. high school students considering their place in the adult world; the purpose is to investigate Jeffrey Arnett’s (2000) concept of “emerging adulthood” as a new stage of life course. Drawing on interviews and observational data collected around the time when Arnett’s notion of emerging adulthood started to take hold, I use intersectional interpretive lens in order to highlight how race and gender construct emerging adulthood as high school students move out of adolescence. I consider Arnett’s thesis twofold. First, when emerging adulthood is examined intersectionally, young people reveal that – rather than being distinct periods that can simply be prolonged, delayed, or even reached – life stages are fluid and constantly in flux. Second, since efforts to mitigate against uncertain futures characterizes the Millennial generation, I argue that the process of guarding against uncertainty reorders, questions or reconfigures the characteristics and stages that conventionally serve as markers of life course. I conclude that the identity exploration, indecision, and insecurity associated with emerging adulthood can also be understood as related to how the youth reveal and reshape the life course intersectionally.

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Rethinking the Youth Phase of the Life-course: The Case for Emerging Adulthood?

Journal of Youth Studies ◽

10.1080/13676260500431628 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 367-384 ◽

Cited By ~ 258

Author(s):

John Bynner

Keyword(s):

Emerging Adulthood ◽

Life Course ◽

The Life Course

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A Life-Course Analysis of Engagement in Violent Extremist Groups

The British Journal of Criminology ◽

10.1093/bjc/azz048 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 60 (1) ◽

pp. 74-92 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Christoffer Carlsson ◽

Amir Rostami ◽

Hernan Mondani ◽

Joakim Sturup ◽

Jerzy Sarnecki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emerging Adulthood ◽

Life Course ◽

Exploratory Study ◽

Meaning Making ◽

Life Course Theory ◽

Violent Extremism ◽

Social Controls ◽

Extremist Groups ◽

The Life Course ◽

Life Course Analysis

AbstractIn this exploratory study, individuals’ processes of engagement in violent extremist groups are analysed by drawing from criminological life-course theory and narrative-based understandings of crime. Based on interviews with individuals who have participated in violent extremism, it is suggested that the process of engagement consists of three steps: (1) a weakening of informal social controls, followed by (2) an interaction with individuals in proximity to the group and (3) a stage of meaning-making in relation to the group and one’s identity, resulting in an individual’s willingness and capacity to engaging in the group’s activities, including violence. In future theorizing about processes of engagement in violent extremism, the meanings of age, and the life-course stages of late adolescence and emerging adulthood in particular, should be given analytic attention.

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Life-course predictors of wellbeing in emerging adulthood

10.31234/osf.io/ykh8f ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

R. Adele H. Wang ◽

CMA Haworth

Keyword(s):

Emerging Adulthood ◽

Life Course ◽

General Health ◽

Meaning In Life ◽

Emotional Health ◽

Childhood And Adolescence ◽

Economic Policies ◽

Parents And Children ◽

Comprehensive Picture ◽

The Life Course

Emerging adulthood is a protracted period of instability and uncertainty. Good wellbeing can act as a buffer against the negative health consequences associated with stresses experienced at this age, and also predicts future positive outcomes. But the literature is sparse on the developmental origins of wellbeing in emerging adulthood. This study builds upon established life-course models to investigate the relative effects of distal and proximal predictors on wellbeing at this age. 4,222 individuals from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children completed a comprehensive wellbeing questionnaire at age 22-25. Predictors in our life-course model included family and child level factors capturing early childhood, late childhood and adolescence as well as concurrent emerging adult level factors to predict wellbeing outcomes. On average, our models explained approximately 30% of the variance in wellbeing. We found that, in general, emotional health followed by self-perceived general health are the strongest predictors of wellbeing. Partnership and employment were also correlated with many wellbeing outcomes, suggesting the salience of these developmental goals at this age. More research that tests causality is needed but our results suggest that policies focussing on general health, specifically emotional health, may bring the most benefits to wellbeing over and above educational or economic policies In addition, we found differences in the life-course models of hedonic wellbeing (happiness) and eudaimonic wellbeing (meaning in life). For policy makers, we suggest the consideration of these outcomes in addition to the commonly used life satisfaction to provide a more comprehensive picture of public wellbeing.

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