Final Draft:
Sydney Lang
English 105 C
09/29/17
The Cost and Benefits of Embracing “Emerging Adulthood”
There are many individuals that are driven by the idea of preparing themselves for a good future. Whether it is by means of: working hard in school, playing sports to the best of their ability to get onto elite teams, or to find a significant other that could support them along the way, whatever the route, they are structuring their present on their idea of the future. No one knows what the future will hold, or even what will for sure help you along the road, but this idea does not stop people from striving to reach adulthood as soon as possible. The bigger question that they should be asking is- “What even is adulthood?”
To some, adulthood is when an individual is eighteen years old, and legally they are considered ‘an adult’. Others might associate adulthood with the achievement of certain milestones, such as having a steady job, buying a house, getting married, and so on. Many could believe that adulthood can be achieved after reaching cultural standards. For those within their ‘20-somethings’ they might struggle with meeting all of society’s expectations for what they should have accomplished by their age, as Henig would describe it. The concept of being in a doldrum once an individual is within their ‘20-somethings’ is defined as “emerging adulthood” by authors including Robin Henig, and psychology professor Jeffrey Arnett. Other perspectives regarding this developmental stage includes Thomas King, who embraces the idea of not applying concepts from the past to the future. Many aspects of society struggle to accept this new developmental stage, but with ‘emerging adulthood’ being officially recognized as a life stage, the culture of the ‘20-somethings’ may be subject to change; as the individual changes, the culture of these ‘20-somethings’ will change along with it. The individual can change in a number of ways including: personally, financially, emotionally and psychologically.
Culture, is loosely defined as “the set of shared values, goals, and practice of a group” (Merriam-Webster). This idea that individuals of a group are molded by the culture that surrounds them, exhibits how significant the impact of a person’s surroundings can play in how they develop. Say that this environment has a new aspect applied to it, this aspect specifically benefits a certain section of this cultural group, it will contribute to the development of the targeted group. This could be applied to the culture that surrounds us. “Emerging adulthood” is the new aspect that could be applied to our culture and the section that it would benefit would be the ‘20-somethings’. These ‘20-somethings’ may benefit from this new stage in their lives, as a time for growth, and this growth will turn into cultural growth, and what is growth without change?
The ‘20-somethings’ of our culture would develop personally, as ‘emerging adulthood’ is a time that is designed so that the individual can be focused on the act of ‘bettering’ oneself. Although this sounds like a selfish time for the emerging adult, it is a period in their life that is sectioned off for the purpose of self discovery. As Henig said, “men and women are more self focused, and yet also more optimistic, no matter what” (Henig 203). This sense of optimism tieing into the self discovery, justifies this period of self discovery. As important self discovery is for an individual, if they never really have time to straighten out who they are and what they want in life, whether it is what they want in their relationships with family, friends or significant others. Or what they want to achieve intellectually, with educational achievements, what they want for a future career; or just figuring out what type of person they want to be when they ‘grow up,’ they may never fully reach adulthood. Thomas King mentioned in his tedtalk, how the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is frequently posed to people on the younger side of the community. To him this is such a bizarre question to ask, because there is no way that anyone could possibly know what they want for the future, because the future is so unsure. Much of this uncertainty is rooted in the concept that, as the individuals of the culture grow and adapt– so does the culture, at no point is either truly stagnant. In addition to the uncertainty of the future– why would a child know anything about the future anyways, their future is going to be completely different than what the future was when the ‘asker’ was that age. King’s idea that it is vital to accept the expiration of concepts, and that the traditional paths and notions, will not necessarily apply to the future generations lifestyles comes to show that he too recognizes the unpredictability of the future culturally, as the individuals within it are causing alterations everyday. This personal development would lead to personal change as King brings to attention, that there is no equivalent of a ‘one size fits all’ policy that will apply to past, present, and future individuals, as inevitable cultural changes will not permit it.
Financial development may occur during the time that an individual is experiencing ‘emerging adulthood’ as they are discovering what type of career path they want to take, and what path is the best for them. During this time in the individual’s life, they are focusing on themselves and essentially preparing themselves for complete independence, and thriving on their own. It is necessary for this growth process to occur, because if the individual is too focused on just doing whatever they can to ‘get by’ they may never get out of that cycle. It is important for those in their ‘20-somethings’ to get a chance to figure out what they want to do, so that they can, as King said “truly enjoy living,” rather than just getting by enough financially, to live. This mentality of enjoying life and living life to the fullest, are new ideas that will shape the individual’s life choices and therefore alter the culture that surrounds them.
Emotional development may occur during the time that an individual is experiencing ‘emerging adulthood’ as they are discovering themselves and who they are as a person. This period in their lives could allow for growth in a person’s relationships, in knowing who they want to be in a relationship and what they are looking for in friends, significant others, and family relationships. Certain aspects that inhibit this development, would include, as Henig describes them as “helicopter parents.” Henig also adds a description of these individuals as being, “heavily invested parents who hover over their children,” (Henig 205). These parents are preventing their children from growing beyond their childhood, but by limiting their ‘hovering,’ permits growth to occur spiritually and culturally. These individuals could use their time in ‘emerging adulthood’ to immerse themselves into new and different lifestyles, thus broadening their worldly perspectives and making them a well rounded individual. In addition to being a well rounded individual, they will also be equipped with their own set of skills to deal with problems, especially when their parents avoid swooping in, and let their children figure life out on their own. With this set of skills they are prepared to act and response in manners that would alter the culture, and those around them.
Lastly, psychological development may occur during the time that an individual is experiencing ‘emerging adulthood’ as they are still developing during this time. As Henig states, “people can pursue more elevated goals only after their basic needs of food, shelter, and sex have been met” ( 205). Psychological development cannot occur until after these needs have been met, and ‘emerging adulthood’ is the period in time in which an individual is aiming to fulfill these needs. Furthermore, the prefrontal cortex, within the frontal lobe of the brain, where higher thought processes occur, is still developing during this time, and not rushing into complete ‘adult responsibilities’ allows the brain to develop and prosper during this time in an individual’s life. With a maturing prefrontal cortex, an individual is prone to acting with more impulsive actions rather than deep thought and contemplation of the risks and benefit balance in mind, but allowing time for this cortex to reach its full potential, prevents an individual making major life decisions whilst in an impulsive stage during their lifetime. In addition to the physical development of the frontal lobe, an individual’s psychological impact can benefit from experiencing ‘emerging adulthood’ as a stage in their lifetime. With societal pressures Henig describes, that are placed on an individual and forcing them to meet so many benchmarks by a certain age, can put a significant amount of stress on an individual. In addition to society’s pressures as a whole, the impact that the individual may feel, could be instilled upon themselves as they might have their own expectations of what being an ‘adult’ entails. This could create an internal struggle within the individual, and they could become more prone to always feeling like they are failing to meet their own benchmarks and could develop a defeatists attitude, which would not benefit them, or help them grow into a successful individual. However with new an ever-changing culture that is molded by its individuals, this internal struggle can be avoided with the acceptance of ‘emerging adulthood’ into the culture.
In conclusion, the culture in which an individual is surrounded by helps to make them who they are as a person, but if they do not have time to develop, they may not reach their full potential, and may not thrive, but with ‘emerging adulthood’ being officially recognized as a life stage, the culture of the ‘20-somethings’ may be subject to change, as culture shapes the individual, while the individual shapes the culture. So ultimately, the ‘20-somethings’ themselves have the power to make ‘emerging adulthood’ part of their culture. If these ‘20-somethings’ want their culture to accept it, it will (Ambady). Whether the individual is developing personally, financially, emotionally or psychologically, the individual’s culture is being altered along with it; this balance between the individuals change and the cultural change is what makes the future so uncertain, because everyone and everything is forever, constantly changing in this cycle.
Works Cited
Ambady, Nalini. “The Mind in the World: Culture and the Brain.” Association for Psychological
Science, Association for Psychological Science , 4 May 2011, www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/the-mind-in-the-world-culture-and-the-brain.
“Dictionary by Merriam-Webster: America’s Most-Trusted Online Dictionary.”
Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/.
Henig, Robin Henig. “What Is It about 20-Somethings?” Emerging: Contemporary Readings for
Writers, edited by Barclay Barrios. 3rd ed., Bedford/St. Martin, 2016, pp 198-213.
King, Thomas. “Adults, we need to have the talk.” Youtube. TEDx Melbourne, Nov 2015. Web.
September 2017.
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