I’ve never rested easy on the notion of theories labeling individuals into age-determined expectations. For example, all 25 year olds are adults. Adulthood cannot be determined based on age alone. Other factors must be considered. Whether or not one is an adult is a very vague developmental question to consider, because definitions of ‘adult’ may differ from person to person. Many people do not consider themselves adults, yet very few people over the age of 18 would consider themselves an adolescent, hence the term ‘emerging adult’. Arnett (2000) says that “Emerging adults do not see themselves as adolescents, but many of them also do not see themselves entirely as adults” (p. 471). I have four younger siblings between the ages of 18-25. Based on age alone, I could call all four of my siblings emerging adults, but because each of them is at a distinctively unique stage in their life, they are not all emerging adults.
Arnett (2000) described three areas that provide the most information on the “distinctiveness of emerging adulthood” as demographics, subjective perceptions, and identity explorations (p. 474). He refers to demographics refer to living arrangement, marital status and school enrollment, and subjective perceptions as the way in which the emerging adult perceives themselves. Identity exploration in emerging adulthood includes exploring in the areas of love, work, and worldviews. This identity exploration is similar to Erikson’s (1956) central conflict during adolescence, yet on a larger scale that encompasses more adult behaviors and attitudes.
Blinn-Pike, Jonkman, Smith and Worhty (2008) conducted a survey of 450 college students enrolled in psychology classes in a southern state. The results to this survey showed that 41% were emerging adults, 33% were undecided and 26% were adults. Arnett (2000) found that when asked whether they feel they have reached adulthood, the majority of Americans in their late teens to early twenties answer neither “no” nor “yes” but the ambiguous, “yes and no”. This shows that even this population feels somewhere in-between adolescence and adulthood. There has to be a place for the ambiguous answerers to identity with, so it is no wonder that the transitional stage between adolescence and young adulthood has been given a name; emerging adulthood.
Arnett (2000) identified three criteria that most often most determine transition into adulthood; accepting responsibility for one’s self, making independent decisions, and becoming financially independent (pg. 473). Based on these criteria, in addition to the ages of my siblings and their demographic characteristics (marriage, housing and schooling), I can quickly pass judgment that my 25-year-old sister, who recently gave birth to her first child, is no longer an emerging adult, but rather a young adult. She has taken on responsibility for oneself, she makes independent decisions and she is financially independent. Next, my 18-year-old sister who is a senior in high school is unquestionably an emerging adult along with my 20-year-old brother who is a junior in college and my 23-year-old brother who is a year out of college and starting his own business. All three of these siblings are still in the exploration stage of life where their options are perceivably endless. However, I will argue that if a peripheral stage exists I would place my 18 year-old sister on the cusp of adolescence and emerging adulthood, because she still shows a few qualities of adolescence and I’d place my 23 year old brother on the cusp of adulthood and emerging adulthood because he has begun to take on adult roles, like financial independence.
While I can sit back and pass judgments, my view from the sideline will never be as accurate from the one on the first yard line. What really matters most is my siblings self-perception, whether or not they view themselves as emerging adults or adults. Arnett (2000) describes for us again:
Emerging adulthood is distinguished by relative independence from social roles and from normative expectations. Having left the dependency of childhood and adolescence, and having not yet entered the enduring responsibilities that are normative in adulthood, emerging adults often explore a variety of possible life directions in love, work, and world-views. (p. 469)
Based on the qualities and factors described in this post I no longer consider myself an emerging adult. I have accepted the responsibilities of adulthood, in their entirety… freedom, bills and home repairs (the good, the bad and the ugly). What about you, do you consider yourself emerging adult, or an adult?
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