What Is The Difference Between Adulthood And Adulthood

As the mother of seven grown children, I agree with most of Jeffrey Arnett’s, author of Emerging Adulthood, theories. It is a time of change, with a developmental connection between adolescence and adulthood. During this phase of development, children experience periods of self-discovery transformation. There are favorable outcomes as well as adverse effects during this developmental stage. Furthermore, this successive stage encourages and promotes the change from the dependency of their parents to the independence that is distinctive for adults. This autonomy is beneficial because it prepares the emerging adult for their future independently from their parents. Arnett believes there are five characteristics of emerging adulthood that make it distinguishable from other time periods: the age of identity explorations, the age of instability, the self-focused age, the age of feeling in-between, and the age of possibilities.

They also expressed that, while they know it is quite common, they hoped for themselves to be living with a partner or in apartment on their own once they were over the age of 30 if they could not live in a home of their own. It was at this point that I began to see that the ideals of centuries past continue to be relevant within our modern context. However, the autonomy to choose the timing of attainment is fundamental to becoming an independent adult. My respondents, therefore, supported previous literature which suggests that conventional transitions to adulthood are occurring but at rather delayed and individualistic rates. But where does this delay come

about the role of family and the significance of independence in a mature adult’s life.

“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairytales again.” -C.S. Lewis. We all have had experiences that bring about growth and maturity; the clear line that separates us from childhood to adulthood. The shift from childhood to adulthood happened for me when I started having my own opinions and my own outlook on life. You can always be traced back into your life, in the events that shaped your perspective of the world.

As a child, you become dependent on your parents. Dependence starts at birth, a newborn must be fed every few hours. The excessive diaper changes and constant burping, one must depend on their parents to take care of them. Oneself does not choose their caregiver nor if one wants to be dependent upon them but, it’s a need. Throughout this dependence one creates a special place in their heart for their caregiver. This special place leads to defense in their honor and creates feelings for one as a survival strategy.

Being an adult is the number one thing that children want to be: The desire to get older to do things that you want when you want and having no one say otherwise. However, what is an adult? An ambiguous term that really falls into the hands of the individual, where at Sixteen you can drive, eighteen you can vote, and twenty-one you can drink, for those in the USA, all varying ages that individuals could use as indications of adulthood. Robin Heinig wrote and article “What is it about 20- somethings?” where she discusses Arnett’s proposal about a new developmental stage, “Emerging Adulthood”. Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, an American professor in psychology, believes that we aren 't entering adulthood till the later portions of our twenties. For some, this may be true but for the general population including myself I find this hard to believe. Leo Hendry’s article, “How universal is emerging adulthood? An empirical example”, on emerging adulthood gives a deeper understanding to what this generation 's kids are going through. The late teens are a crucial part to the lives of a young adult. It 's the time that we spend trying to identify ourselves, escape the circumstance that we are put into at a younger age, or just had a better family income. Arnett is not wrong, but all other external factors need to be accounted for before we know, or even consider if emerging adulthood is a new developmental stage.

Responsibility to me is the passion that one must do what they know they need to do to succeed, because if they don’t they will never be able to do what they need to to take care of themselves. Responsibility is acting by yourself even if there is not direct incentive to do so because it is what one must do to succeed. When I finally became mature enough to understand the responsibility’s I had for myself and others that were apart of my team, I immediately changed my ways and my grades in senior year were over one whole grade point average compared to the two prior years. To be responsible in life is to be successful and if one can not be responsible in life then they will never reach their full

There was a lot of things we had to do on our own as kids. While some people may disagree with being brought up that way, I value you it because it taught me a lot about myself and how capable I am at being independent. Children should also be taught how to be responsible (not by being alone of course) because there are so many tools that you can use and learn as a child that, too, will help you be a well adjusted adult. Anything from putting away toys, learning how to cook with your family, or even small things like shutting of lights when leaving a room. It shouldn't always just be about "play," but really learning values for the future.

Example: As an athlete your responsibility is to come to practice, practice hard, develop skill, and win games. As a student you have to do your homework, study for your exam, and do well in school. For a son or daughter you have to help your parents' cook, clean, and do chore around the house and get ready to go to school again. Everyone has their own responsibility to take care if you want to become an athlete, students, and a good child you must grow up.

From adolescence to late adulthood, our lives change drastically. Our goals, achievements and conceptions of life differentiate as we mature. As we grow older, we no longer concern ourselves with self-identity or the opinions of others, but instead we focus on our accomplishments and evaluate our life (if we lived a meaningful life). From adolescence to late adulthood, we experience different developmental tasks at a particular place in our life span.

Independence to me is a big part of being an adult. Self-reliance to me is necessary in order for responsibility and independence. Understanding that you and only you hold the key to your future and where you want to be is a big part of independence. There is no need for an adult to rely on another or others for aid or support. Self-reliance is the key

Adults are capable of making their own decisions. Progressive, significant decisions from choosing a spouse to having a child

I recently heard a quotation from a pediatrician who was stating: “It is ten times more difficult being a child than an adult, due to the many possibilities and choices you ought to be making”. Now, my own thesis on this is, when you are a teenager, you can multiply the diffuculty by a factor of fifty. A lot of young people find it very strenous taking the last step towards adulthood and their own independence. Especially when you have parents that, unconsciously or not, do not allow you to do so.

What does it mean to be an adult? Marker events are exceptional events such as graduation, entering the adult workforce, or marriage that mark the transition from childhood to adulthood (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). Yet, according to respondents in Arnett’s 2000 survey, marriage and parenthood were no longer markers of adulthood; instead accepting responsibility for ones’ actions and independent decision making are what make an adult (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). While may theorists do not believe that the adult experience alters cognition, there are many that feel differently, and attempt to explain the changes that take place in cognition during the transition from adolescence to adulthood or postformal thought. What seems to be a common thread among these theories is that postformal thought is relativistic in nature and beyond the scope of formal operational thought. Postformal level thinking is complex in nature and produces many logical outcomes to a single event, allowing the individual to select from the most beneficial result.

Becoming an adult involves much more than becoming physically mature, though that is an important part of the process. The transition from childhood to adulthood also involves changes in patterns of reasoning and moral thinking, and adjustments in personality and sexual behavior. Though the process is complex, most adolescents cope reasonably well with their changing circumstances. (Kassachau, 1995)