What are five characteristics that distinguish emerging adulthood from other age?

For most young people, the ages eighteen to thirty are a period of constant transition from the dependency of adolescence to responsibilities and freedom of young adulthood. A significant minority of people, however, don’t go through this transition during the expected period of time.

We might treat them as adults legally, but there will be various life tasks that people are expected to do they might not have accomplished. These include starting a career, developing an individual identity and learning skills required to live an independent life. However, not every young adult or adult manages to successfully reach each milestone on time.

Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, Ph.D. is the man behind the discovery of Emerging Adulthood. According to him, most people in their twenties living in Westernized cultures go through a vague “waiting period” during their transition from adolescence to an adult.

The Five Facets of Emerging Adulthood

There are five different characteristics which distinguish emerging adulthood from all the other stages. These are as follows:

1. The age of identity exploration;
2. The age of instability;
3. The self-focused age;
4. The age of feeling in-between;
5. The age of possibilities.

1.The Age of Identity Explorations

The age of identity exploration is probably the most idiosyncratic characteristic of emerging adulthood. This is an age where people explore all the numerous possibilities in different walks of life. They make a lot of different choices related to a lot of different life issues. By trying out all the different possibilities available to them, young adults develop a definite identity.

They develop a deep understanding of who they are as people and what their skills and boundaries are. They also get a clearer idea of their principles and values. They learn to fit into the society they’re living in.

2.The Age of Instability

This exploration of emerging adulthood makes it the age of instability as well. When young people explore the numerous possibilities available to them, their life often becomes very unstable. Frequently moving and changing their jobs is one of the characteristics of the age of instability. In the US, the rate of residence changes is comparatively higher between the ages nineteen to twenty-nine than in any other period of life.

3.The Self-Focused Age

Emerging adulthood is a self-focused age because most young adults move out to live their lives on their own accord. Even in societies where they live in their parents’ home during their early twenties, young people establish an independent lifestyle. This is a time where they rely less on their parents and focus more on themselves by developing a long-term commitment to their career and love life. They learn to make important decisions about their life during this phase.

4.The Age of Feeling in-Between

Another idiosyncratic feature of emerging adulthood can be feeling “in between.” You’re not an adult yet, but you are not a child either. In some aspects of life, you might be behaving like an adult, but in others, you might still need help from others. It is not until people reach their late twenties that they get a clear idea of what they want from life. This transitional period is one of the most noteworthy in emerging adulthood. It is during this period that you either make the correct choices or the wrong ones.

5.The Age of Possibilities

Finally, emerging adulthood can be regarded as the age of possibilities. It is during this period of time where numerous different futures are possible for young people. There are a lot of different directions they can take in their lives. It is an age where their hopes are high and expectations even higher. However, most of these young adults have not been tested in the fires of real life.

Emerging Adulthood can be scary for most people. Navigating the harsh waters of the real world alone can be very stressful and confusing. However, it is important to remember that there are a lot of young people out there going through the same situation as you. Making the correct choices can and does lead you to a bright future!

If you’re struggling in emerging adulthood, call me to schedule an appointment today.

Learning Objectives: Emerging Adulthood

• Explain emerging adulthood
• Explain how emerging adulthood differs from adolescence and adulthood
• Describe cultural variations of emerging adulthood
• Identify the markers of adulthood
• Identify where emerging and early adults currently live

Emerging adulthood is the period between the late teens and early twenties; ages 18-25, although some researchers have included up to age 29 in the definition (Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood, 2016). Jeffrey Arnett (2000) argues that emerging adulthood is neither adolescence nor is it young adulthood. Individuals in this age period have left behind the relative dependency of childhood and adolescence, but have not yet taken on the responsibilities of adulthood. “Emerging adulthood is a time of life when many different directions remain possible, when little about the future is decided for certain, when the scope of independent exploration of life’s possibilities is greater for most people than it will be at any other period of the life course” (Arnett, 2000, p. 469).

Arnett has identified five characteristics of emerging adulthood that distinguishes it from adolescence and young adulthood (Arnett, 2006).

• It is the age of identity exploration. In 1950, Erik Erikson proposed that it was during adolescence that humans wrestled with the question of identity. Yet, even Erikson (1968) commented on a trend during the 20th century of a “prolonged adolescence” in industrialized societies. Today, most identity development occurs during the late teens and early twenties rather than adolescence. It is during emerging adulthood that people are exploring their career choices and ideas about intimate relationships, setting the foundation for adulthood.

• Arnett also described this time period as the age of instability (Arnett, 2000; Arnett, 2006). Exploration generates uncertainty and instability. Emerging adults change jobs, relationships, and residences more frequently than other age groups.

• This is also the age of self-focus. Being self-focused is not the same as being “self- centered.” Adolescents are more self-centered than emerging adults. Arnett reports that in his research, he found emerging adults to be very considerate of the feelings of others, especially their parents. They now begin to see their parents as people not just parents, something most adolescents fail to do (Arnett, 2006). Nonetheless, emerging adults focus more on themselves, as they realize that they have few obligations to others and that this is the time where they can do what they want with their life.
• This is also the age of feeling in- between. When asked if they feel like adults, more 18 to 25 year-olds answer “yes and no” than do teens or adults over the age of 25 (Arnett, 2001). Most emerging adults have gone through the changes of puberty, are typically no longer in high school, and many have also moved out of their parents’ home. Thus, they no longer feel as dependent as they did as teenagers. Yet, they may still be financially dependent on their parents to some degree, and they have not completely attained some of the indicators of adulthood, such as finishing their education, obtaining a good full-time job, being in a committed relationship, or being responsible for others. It is not surprising that Arnett found that 60% of 18 to 25 year-olds felt that in some ways they were adults, but in some ways they were not (Arnett, 2001).
• Emerging adulthood is the age of possibilities. It is a time period of optimism as more 18 to 25 year-olds feel that they will someday get to where they want to be in life. Arnett (2000, 2006) suggests that this optimism is because these dreams have yet to be tested.

For example, it is easier to believe that you will eventually find your soul mate when you have yet to have had a serious relationship. It may also be a chance to change directions, for those whose lives up to this point have been difficult. The experiences of children and teens are influenced by the choices and decisions of their parents. If the parents are dysfunctional, there is little a child can do about it. In emerging adulthood, people can move out and move on. They have the chance to transform their lives and move away from unhealthy environments. Even those whose lives were happier and more fulfilling as children, now have the opportunity in emerging adulthood to become independent and make decisions about the direction they would like their life to take.

What are five characteristics that distinguish emerging adulthood from other age periods? It is the age of identity explorations, instability, being self-focused, feeling in-between, and possibilities.

What are the characteristics of emerging adulthood?

Emerging adults share the five characteristics of self-focus, instability, identity explorations, feeling in-between, and a sense of possibilities. Emerging adulthood takes place across racial, cultural, and socioeconomic groups, although the experience of emerging adulthood varies among groups.

What are the five key characteristics of emerging adulthood quizlet?

Terms in this set (5)

• identity exploration.
• instability.
• self focused perspective.
• feeling of in between.
• age of possibility.

Who identified the five characteristics of emerging adulthood?

Arnett

What are 5 characteristics that distinguish emerging adulthood from other age periods?

Five features make emerging adulthood distinctive: identity explorations, instability, self-focus, feeling in-between adolescence and adulthood, and a sense of broad possibilities for the future.

Which characteristic is typical of emerging adulthood quizlet?

Terms in this set (5)

• identity exploration.
• instability.
• self focused perspective.
• feeling of in between.
• age of possibility.

Which description best characterizes emerging adulthood?

A defining characteristic of this age group is financial instability.

What are the five characteristics of emerging adulthood?

Five features make emerging adulthood distinctive: identity explorations, instability, self-focus, feeling in-between adolescence and adulthood, and a sense of broad possibilities for the future.

What are the characteristics of emerging adulthood quizlet?

Terms in this set (5)

• identity exploration.
• instability.
• self focused perspective.
• feeling of in between.
• age of possibility.

What is a defining characteristic of emerging adulthood?

As Arnett describes it, emerging adulthood can be defined as an: Age of identity exploration. Young people are deciding who they are and what they want out of work, school and love. Age of instability.

What are the characteristics of emerging adulthood according to Arnett 2001 )?

A central feature of emerging adulthood is optimism (Arnett, 2000a). Young people feel that they have many open choices and possibilities, perhaps more than in any other life period.

What are the 5 characteristics of emerging adulthood?

Five features make emerging adulthood distinctive: identity explorations, instability, self-focus, feeling in-between adolescence and adulthood, and a sense of broad possibilities for the future.

What are the 5 stages of emerging adulthood quizlet?

Terms in this set (5)

• Feeling In-between. emerging adults dont label themselves as adolescence or full adults.
• Identity Exploration. time where the emerging adult is finding identity, especially in love and work.
• Instability. Residency changes.
• Self-focused.
• The age of possibilities.

What are the characteristics of emerging adulthood according to Arnett 2001 )? Quizlet?

What are five characteristics that distinguish emerging adulthood from other age periods? It is the age of identity explorations, instability, being self-focused, feeling in-between, and possibilities.

Who discovered emerging adulthood?

Jeffrey Jensen Arnett

Who coined the term emerging adulthood and why?

Five features make emerging adulthood distinctive: identity explorations, instability, self-focus, feeling in-between adolescence and adulthood, and a sense of broad possibilities for the future.

What is Arnett’s theory of emerging adulthood?

Dr. Arnett coined the term and presented a theory of emerging adulthood in a widely-cited article in American Psychologist in 2000. According to Dr. Arnett, in the past half century what most people experience during the years from age 18 to 29 has changed dramatically in industrialized societies.

What are the five characteristics that distinguish emerging adulthood from other age periods?

What are five characteristics that distinguish emerging adulthood from other age periods? It is the age of identity explorations, instability, being self-focused, feeling in-between, and possibilities.

What are the five main features of emerging adulthood quizlet?

Emerging adults share the five characteristics of self-focus, instability, identity explorations, feeling in-between, and a sense of possibilities. Emerging adulthood takes place across racial, cultural, and socioeconomic groups, although the experience of emerging adulthood varies among groups.

What are Arnett’s five key features of emerging adulthood?

Terms in this set (5)

• identity explorations. trying out life options.
• instability. revisions of ones plan
• self-focus. less obligations to others, figuring out YOUR life.
• feeling in between. transition between adolescence and adulthood.
• possibilities/optimism. positively towards future.

Which characteristic is typical of emerging adulthood?

Five features make emerging adulthood distinctive: identity explorations, instability, self-focus, feeling in-between adolescence and adulthood, and a sense of broad possibilities for the future.

Which are the characteristics of emerging adulthood quizlet?

Terms in this set (5)

• identity exploration.
• instability.
• self focused perspective.
• feeling of in between.
• age of possibility.

What is emerging adulthood quizlet?

emerging adulthood. –a distinct period of development-between 18-25 years old. -independent role. exploration and frequent change.

What does emerging adulthood describe?

Emerging Adulthood is a term used to describe a period of development spanning from about ages 18 to 29, experienced by most people in their twenties in Westernized cultures and perhaps in other parts of the world as well. It was initially defined by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, PhD from Clark University in 2000.

Which description best characterizes emerging adulthood quizlet?

According to the text, Which statement BEST characterizes emerging adulthood as the age of possibilities? Typically emerging adults have left their families but not committed to new relationships. You just studied 40 terms!