Emerging and Young Adulthood KONSTAM: “KONSTAM_FM” — 2007/6/20 — 15:27 — PAGE i — #1 Advancing ResponsibleAdolescent Development SeriesEditor: RogerJ.R.Levesque,IndianaUniversity,Bloomington,USA EMERGINGANDYOUNGADULTHOOD MultiplePerspectives,DiverseNarratives byVardaKonstam AcontinuationOrderPlanisavailableforthisseries.Acontinuationorderwillbringdeliveryofeach newvolumeimmediatelyuponpublication.Volumesarebilledonlyuponactualshipment.Forfurther informationpleasecontactthepublisher. KONSTAM: “KONSTAM_FM” — 2007/6/20 — 15:27 — PAGE ii — #2 Emerging and Young Adulthood Multiple Perspectives, Diverse Narratives Varda Konstam KONSTAM: “KONSTAM_FM” — 2007/6/20 — 15:27 — PAGE iii — #3 VardaKonstam DepartmentofCounselingandSchoolPsychology UniversityofMassachusettsBoston Boston,MA01778 USA [email protected] LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2007926111 ISBN-13:978-0-387-71032-7 e-ISBN-13:978-0-387-71033-4 Printedonacid-freepaper. ©2007SpringerScience+BusinessMedia,LLC Allrightsreserved.Thisworkmaynotbetranslatedorcopiedinwholeorinpartwithoutthewritten permissionofthepublisher(SpringerScience+BusinessMedia,LLC,233SpringStreet,NewYork, NY10013, USA),exceptforbriefexcerptsinconnectionwithreviewsorscholarlyanalysis. Use inconnectionwithanyformofinformationstorageandretrieval, electronicadaptation, computer software,orbysimilarordissimilarmethodologynowknownorhereafterdevelopedisforbidden. Theuseinthispublicationoftradenames,trademarks,servicemarks,andsimilarterms,evenifthey arenotidentifiedassuch,isnottobetakenasanexpressionofopinionastowhetherornottheyare subjecttoproprietaryrights. 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 springer.com KONSTAM: “KONSTAM_FM” — 2007/6/20 — 15:27 — PAGE iv — #4 ToMarvin,AmandaandJeremy —myinspirations KONSTAM: “KONSTAM_FM” — 2007/6/20 — 15:27 — PAGE v — #5 Acknowledgements AspecialthankyoutoAmaliDeZoysaforprovidinginvaluablesupport,persis- tenceandsteadfastnessthroughouttheprocessofwritingthisbook.Iwouldalso liketothankPhyllisLafferforhercontinuedsupport. vii KONSTAM: “KONSTAM_FM” — 2007/6/20 — 15:27 — PAGE vii — #7 Prologue Havingtwochildren,oneinthethickofnavigatingemergingadulthood,theother abouttoenterit,Ifoundmyselfstrugglingbetweenbeingunderstandinginterms ofhowdifficultitistonegotiateaseeminglymorecomplexanduncertainenvi- ronment,andexpectingthatmychildrenpickupthepaceandlivetheirlivesusing developmentalmarkersthatIhadinternalized.Iviewedmyselfasoverlyindulgent and involved in the lives of my children. How could I be helpful in my role as parent,friend,andconfidante? Itwaseasytobejudgmental. Iwasmarriedat21, hadacareerthatexceeded my expectations by age 27, and my first child at the age of 29. I listened to my internal voice saying, “You don’t really get what it’s like out there, these aredifferenttimesthatrequiredifferentapproaches,differentwaysofbeingand coping.”Idecidedtousemyanalyticandclinicalskills,insteadofmywell-honed judgmentalskills,andconvincedmyselftobemoreopentoalternativeperspectives andwaysofthinkingaboutthisdevelopmentalperiod.Iwasgoingtograpplewith theissues,andcommunicatemynewfoundunderstandingtostudentsandpotential practitionersinthefield,aswellasthemajorstakeholders,individualsnegotiating and/or interfacing with emerging and young adults, parents, and employers. I wasdeterminedtousemyenergiesconstructivelyandembarkonwritingabook that was grounded in the academic literature, provided clarity and reassurance whenever possible, but at the same time did not present an overly optimistic picturethatwasreassuringforreassurancesake. What happens to emerging adults as they “emerge” from their 20s? How can we integrate their diverse narratives and perspectives and go beyond what we already know about them? My instincts and clinical skills told me they were not a monolithic group, and that the meanings they attached to this develop- mental period were diverse and textured, informed in part by the experiences theyencounteredintheir20s. Intheprocess, Iwouldtrytodecipherandunder- standwhatskill-sets,personalcharacteristics,andenvironmentalcontextsenable emergingandyoungadultstothriveinahighlychallengingworkandinterpersonal environment. ix KONSTAM: “KONSTAM_FM” — 2007/6/20 — 15:27 — PAGE ix — #9 x EmergingandYoungAdulthood The diverse voices of the major stakeholders are represented: emerging and young adults, parents, and employers. The Chinese ideograph indicating crisis suggestsdangeraswellasopportunity.Listeningtothevariousstakeholderswill provideauniqueopportunitytoviewthisdevelopmentaljuncturefrommultiple perspectivesandintheprocessexpandtheexistingliterature. KONSTAM: “KONSTAM_FM” — 2007/6/20 — 15:27 — PAGE x — #10 Contents Acknowledgements vii Prologue ix Chapter1 Introduction 1 Chapter2 Identity 13 Chapter3 CulturalConsiderationsandEmerging andYoungAdulthood 29 Chapter4 VoicesofEmergingandYoungAdults: InPursuitofaCareerPath 43 Chapter5 VoicesofEmergingandYoungAdults: FromtheProfessionaltothePersonal 59 Chapter6 The“Tyranny”ofChoice:ARe-Examination ofthePrevailingNarrative 81 Chapter7 ParentalVoices:“AdjustmentReactions toChildren’sAdultLife” 97 Chapter8 VoicesofEmployers:Overlappingand DisparateViews 111 Chapter9 RunningonEmpty,RunningonFull: SummaryandSynthesis 129 AppendixA Methods 149 AppendixB EmergingandYoungAdultQuestionnaire 159 AppendixC ParentQuestionnaire 163 AppendixD EmployerQuestionnaire 167 Index 169 xi KONSTAM: “KONSTAM_FM” — 2007/6/20 — 15:27 — PAGE xi — #11