Introduction

This chapter introduces the volume “Sexuality in Emerging Adulthood” and offers a overview of the five organizing sections of the book: conceptualization and foundational perspectives, methodological trends, contexts and socializing agents, flourishing and floundering, and practical applications. Each of the five sections within the volume review empirical work that collectively examines the diversity of experiences and outcomes of sexuality in emerging adults. The goal of the volume as a whole is to provide a comprehensive and nuanced review of what we know about sexuality in emerging adulthood to inform both the broader study of sexuality and that of emerging adulthood. Indeed, the collective chapters offer strong evidence that emerging adulthood can afford the opportunity to establish both productive and destructive sexual trajectories; the identification of factors associated with each of these trajectors should prove useful for application by educators, health professionals, human service providers, and policymakers.