Emerging Adulthood: Developmental Stage, Theory, or Nonsense?

Arnett’s (2000) theory of emerging adulthood has been both widely celebrated and stronglycriticized. However, it has not yet been closely scrutinized for what it claims to be: “a newtheory of development for the late teens though the twenties.” (p. 469). The purpose of thischapter is to take up this scrutiny, evaluating some of the major postulations and criticisms ofemerging adulthood in light of the available evidence. In particular, the chapter focuses on threebroad claims pertaining to emerging adulthood: 1) that it is a developmental stage, 2) that it is atheory, and 3) that it is nonsense. The analysis presented in the chapter is not meant to resolvethe debates in the field, but rather to examine the nuance and celebrate the complexity of thequestions in order to stimulate further theory and research on the topic.