These questions will require more advanced thinking and consideration to earn full credit. Make sure to support your answers with detail, data and facts presented in the resources, along with ties to cultural and societal influences. You should also include theoretical perspectives as appropriate.  You should NOT quote anything directly from any resources. Instead, you should paraphrase using your own words, and cite the source appropriately (APA citation preferred, but other citation methods will be accepted). When paraphrasing, think about how you would explain the concept or idea to a classmate or parent. Show me through your writing that you understand the ideas, not just that you can locate the concept in a reading.
In the module resources, various reasons were offered for why emerging adulthood is now considered a separate stage of development. Using what you have learned (including course concepts and info), explain the idea of emerging adulthood as though you were talking to your great uncle at a family reunion. Keep in mind the following:
Your uncle is describing his own young adulthood as the ideal and seems to negatively stereotype this generation of emerging adults as “lazy, unfocused wanderers with no real responsibilities”.
You are using appropriate terminology to legitimize your knowledge to your uncle, but remember to explain these terms since he will not be familiar with them.
Your goal is to convince your uncle that these are indeed different times (back this up with concrete info) and emerging adulthood is a valid developmental stage.
Be sure to discuss how different populations have different ways of experiencing emerging adulthood (or skipping it entirely). Why is this stage relevant to you personal (or not) in comparison to other groups?
Emerging Adulthood – Readings &
Resources
First, please watch this video for an explanation of emerging adulthood and why it is a
relatively new concept. Consider culture, social status, and other factors that may influence
the prevalence of this concept.
Why does it take so long to grow up today? | Jeffrey Jensen Arnett | TEDxPSU (Links to an
external site.)
Next, examine this article about emerging adulthood that addresses Arnett’s research and
other perspectives.
Emerging adulthood as cultural diagnostic (Links to an external site.)
Issues in emerging adulthood
Select one of the following additional readings about emerging adulthood.
Disability
Transitioning to adulthood with a mild intellectual disability—Young people’s experiences,
expectations and aspirations. (Links to an external site.)
Body Image
From negative to positive body image: Men’s and women’s journeys from early adolescence
to emerging adulthood
***You may not be able to open the two articles related to Disability and Body Image, so I
uploaded it as a PDF.
PDF file for Disability is named “Transitioning to adulthood with a mild intellectual disability”
PDF file for Body Image is named “Body Image”
Emerging Adulthood – Teen
Parenting
Please view the following and think about these questions as you watch:
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•
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How do the experiences of these teens relate to discussions about sex/ual/ity education
and health?
o How may brain development in adolescence inhibit healthy decision-making
regarding sexual activity and pregnancy prevention?
In what ways does gender intersect with parenting expectations and how that influences
a teen parent’s opportunities for success and education?
How does the experience of parenthood impact the ability to experience emerging
adulthood (or not)?
Do All Teen Moms Think the Same? (Links to an external site.)