Blog 3

This week I found the article, Emerging Adulthood (2000) very interesting! I turned 25 last week and I feel like I am on my way towards young adulthood; however a few months ago I would have felt differently. Prior to my wedding in October, I definitely felt like I was too old to still be an adolescent; however not old enough to be an adult quite yet.  This article really hit home with me because I completely understand the lack of identification for this group of people.  The demographic section was so interesting when it discussed how people younger than 18 are most likely to be living with their parents and going to school and people around the age of 30 are married with kids, but people in between these two groups are harder to predict (Arnett, 2000, p. 471).

Something I found very interesting was the quote, “When adults later consider the most important events in their lives, they most often name events that took place during this period” (Arnett, 2000, p. 469).   I completely agree that my life during college and my wedding will be some of the most important events in my life (besides the birth of my future children of course!).

While I was reading this article, I began to question myself and when I felt like an actual “adult”.  After I was married my mindset changed a little bit because I felt like I had done all the things I needed to do to be considered an adult.  I had a “big girl” job, I had moved out of my parents and now owned my own home, and then I got married.  This article then confirmed my thoughts, “Perhaps it is difficult for young people to feel they have reached adulthood before they have established a stable residence, finished school, settled into a career, and married (or at least committed themselves to a long-term love relationship)” (Arnett, 2000, p. 472).

Although Erikson did not outline an emerging adulthood developmental stage, he still seemed to understand this idea.  As quoted by Corey & Corey, Erikson said, “we enter adulthood after we master the adolescent conflicts over identity versus role confusion” (2008, p. 87).  In emerging adulthood, the individual is experimenting and trying to figure out who they are and separate their own ideas from that of their parents.  Personally I know that during college I was constantly questioning things that I had been told.  Religion was something that became a disagreement with my parents; not because I wanted to argue with them, but because I just couldn’t accept what they were telling me without seeing it for myself.  It was a huge learning experience for me and I know that I truly became my own person throughout this time of experiment.

Arnett, J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, Vol. 55, No. 5, 469-480.

Corey, G., & Corey, M.S. (2008). I never knew I had a choice: Explorations in personal growth (9^th ed.). Belmont, California: Thompson Brooks/Cole.