Emerging adulthood : the winding road from the late teens through the twenties / Jeffrey Jensen Arnett.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 247-257) and index.

A longer road to adulthood -- What is it like to be an emerging adult? : four profiles -- From conflict to companionship: a new relationship with parents -- Love and sex -- Meandering toward marriage -- The road through college: twists and turns -- Work: more than a job -- Sources of meaning: religious beliefs and values -- The age of possibilities: four case studies -- From emerging adulthood to young adulthood: what does it mean to become an adult?

Publisher description: In Emerging Adulthood, Jeffrey Jensen Arnett presents an engaging and compelling portrait of the lives of people he calls "emerging adults." He argues that in recent decades, a new stage of life has developed, usually lasting from about age 18 through the mid-twenties, and distinct from both the adolescence that preceeds it and the young adulthood that comes in its wake. This new stage is one of identity exploration, instability, possibility, self-focus, and of a substantial sense of limbo. As the demographics of American youth, the American workplace, and adulthood continue to evolve, Arnett's book is indispensable reading for anyone wanting to understand the face of modern America.