While Peter Pan might have wanted to never grow up, some otherwise age-appropriate individuals are having trouble entering anything like a traditional adulthood. For decades, society has been slowly erecting higher and higher barriers along the pathway to adulthood, to the point that no clear pathway to a socially prescribed adulthood exists. In that historical context, individuals are reassessing and revaluing traditional adulthood, ultimately giving rise to what could be called a New Adulthood. Some curious twists in that new-adult model have become clear lately: (1) Be Responsible, Postpone Responsibility; (2) Less Is Not Just More, It’s Freedom; (3) Immaturity Is Innovative; and (4) Adulthood? There’s an App for That. Whereas the older adulthood happened “all at once,” when some signature event took place – for instance, marriage, military service, graduating and the like – the New Adulthood seems to emerge over an extended period of time, requiring the individual to acquire coping skills slowly.
If you want to read more about the New Adulthood, please contact us info@inferentialfocus.com
Filed Under: 