Emerging Adulthood

Reviews the book, Emerging Adults in America: Coming of Age in the 21st Century edited by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett and Jennifer Lynn Tanner (see record 2005-16266-000). In this book, the authors have compiled chapters that cover the current state of research on issues of emerging adulthood, including cognitive development, identity formation, ethnic identity, psychological disorders, resilience, family relationships, friendships and romance, sexuality, education and employment, and media use. The reviews are extremely high in quality, well written, and timely. They will be very useful for faculty who want up-to-date summaries for preparing lectures and for researchers looking for general overviews of a particular field. They would also make an excellent starting point for a graduate-level seminar in emerging adulthood. In addition to providing summaries of the current knowledge about emerging adulthood, the book also addresses conceptual and theoretical issues of human development in general; many authors focus on issues of continuity and change during the life span. The theory of emerging adulthood was a necessary addition to the science of human development. It appears to be growing in importance as more societies become industrialized and marriage and entry into the workforce are postponed. The theory allows developmentalists to study the concepts of a unique period that that was previously considered to be covered by other developmental stages. The theory of emerging adulthood not only allows us the chance to consider the uniqueness of this age group but also sheds light on other stages of development. It allows us to differentiate among adolescence, emerging adulthood, and young adulthood, and to more closely study the constructs and issues that are unique to those periods. The recent book edited by Arnett and Tanner represents a significant advance in describing the issues of emerging adults, reviewing the literature, and evaluating the theory of emerging adulthood.