Constructing an Adult Life: A Guide to Personal Development

At every stage of an individual's life, new desires and tensions arise. In an attempt to cope and adapt to the new stress that comes with the needs, people tend to develop different kinds of relationships that in the end form their personalities. Every relationship formed at each stage in a person's life is important for interactions in the later stages. Therefore, as a person develops into an adult, various relationships are formed along the way that helps in molding and shaping certain personal characteristics. The emerging adulthood stage is considered most challenging age based on the desires to experience change. It involves the needs to explore life roles and to focus on supporting oneself, responsibility and making decisions that are independent in life. In the construction of an adult life, an individual must build their identity through social, emotional, and various relationships. The discussion will analyze theories and research experiments to show how people transit into adult life by creating their identity. 

Features of Emerging Adults 

Emerging adulthood is described as a stage that begins after the end of the adolescent period all through until a person begins to carry out young-adult responsibilities such as having a stable job, getting married, and parenthood. The stage is described as identity exploration because the individuals are deciding the kind of things they want in life. It is also marked with many changed hence referred to as an age of instability. Individuals also tend to focus more on their needs such as what they want to do and where they want to go. It is also regarded as a stage of possibilities as people become optimism and see a prospect of living better lives than their parents. It is also a common phenomenon for the emerging adults to postpone their roles. The reasons given for this include the increase in life expectancy hence the young people have the luxury of postponing their commitments to later in the life. The changes in the education system where young adults have to spend more time in school is also a factor that leads to postponement of adult responsibilities. Thirdly, cultural norms that now focus on self-expression have also played a role (‘’Emerging Adults: The in-between Age’’) 

Building Social Identity 

Building social identity is a major aspect in among the emerging adults. It involves the way an individual interacts with their social environment including family members, friends, and peers. People tend to depict different social changes depending on their environment, culture, genes, and brain development among others. While in search of identity through the social means, emerging adults tend to find out who they are and how they fit in the society as a whole. The search can be driven by factors such as peer groups, gender identity, family expectations, and cultural backgrounds among others. Important social changes that may begin shaping the identity of an individual include the search for independence. This is vital, particularly when the individuals seek to make their decisions and engage in different relationships. A sense of responsibility increases and they tend to seek new experiences. Since the emerging adults are gaining a sense of independence, they tend to develop individual morals and values that dictate their association with others. The morals and values are important because they define what is right and wrong hence enabling the individuals to develop character. In building social identity, the emerging adults also experience an increased self-esteem and behavior change. 

Building Emotional Identity 

Mastering how to manage emotions is an important aspect of building an identity as a young adult. The first step in managing emotions is being aware of one's feelings. This involves being aware of a wide range of impulses that emanate from within the body. After that, it is critical to develop appropriate ways or mechanism through which the feelings are channeled and released from the body. Another important aspect of managing feelings is being slow to gratification and to develop tolerance to anxiety. Because a young adult may still find it difficult to cope with the pressures of life, they may experience emotional instability that may lead to incidences of conflict. Some individuals are sensitive to emotions than others while others are better at learning and adopting emotions depicted by others as they grow older. A young adult, especially who is still at an adolescent stage, self-consciousness is common due to changes in the physical appearance. Arnett (2014) asserted that this might have an impact on their emotions because they become so obsessed with how they look, sometimes leading to unnecessary excitement or sadness. 

Building Identity through Relationships 

The first step in building relationships with the emerging adults is to develop interpersonal relationships. It involves the development of positive and healthy relationships that are characterized by reciprocity and tolerance. It also includes the appreciation of diversity, accepting self-mistakes and flaws by others, having an increased degree of mutuality and depicting empathy. During this stage, the young adults become selective when picking their friends and lovers. They tend to pick individuals who will nurture and improve their self-esteem ( Furlong, 2016). They will be attracted to those who seem supportive and those who share their values. The emerging adults also develop the ability to make long-term commitments, conflict resolution, and also develop patience with the instabilities that come with relationships. 

A romantic relationship is another important aspect of building an identity as a young and emerging adult. The failure to develop and maintain a promising intimate relationship during this period hinders development and has implications on an individual's well-being all through their lives. Early romantic relationships take a certain developmental pattern. During adolescence, individuals tend to have romantic relationships that are shallow and short-term. The hallmark of these relationships is that they are based on emotional intimacy. As individuals move towards the late adolescent stage, they tend to adopt a more serious intimate relationship that extends for a longer duration. Other than the romantic relationships, the young adults experience changes in relationships with their family members as they tend to spend lesser time with them. Cases of conflicts may also arise between the young adults and their parents due to the struggle for independence (‘’Young Adults Identities and Their Pathways: A Developmental and Life Course Model’’) 

Theories and Perspectives 

Developmental Perspective 

According to Rauer et al. (2013), the developmental perspective focuses on two dimensions, psychosocial maturity, and age. During the young adulthood stage, individuals change and acquire autonomy that helps them to build a sense of self. However, changes in social norms have since seen a weakening in the transition to adulthood leading to increased changes in the pathways that lead to adult, which are in most cases prolonged. Due to this, the necessity for psychological resources and social support are more important in the facilitation of the transition process. The development perspective advocates for a holistic approach to the identity of young adults. Several factors have been postulated to shape the identity of a young adult. They include social statuses and adolescent influences. The social status factors include race and ethnicity, gender, and the socio-economic status. On the other hand, the adolescent influences include psychosocial adjustment, pubertal development, and the relationship between adolescent and parent. Research has shown that the adolescents who grow up in low socioeconomic backgrounds are more likely to experience subjective aging than their counterparts who grew up in stable economic backgrounds. Also, the youths from low-income backgrounds are more likely to show more responsibility and adult-like interactions as opposed to their counterparts. Males and females follow distinct bio-psychosocial pathways from childhood to adulthood. Young adult women show older age identities than males in the same age. Adolescent females depict a faster social-cognitive maturity than their male counterparts. Also, most females can handle decision making responsibilities at an earlier age than males. 

Psychological Approach also known as the cognitive perspective, it focuses on the internal development processes of an individual and their interactions with the environment. It is based on two dimensions, the sequential model, and transitional models. The sequential model asserts that development is a unidirectional process. It also adds that the development at present is a precursor of future developments and ultimately there is an endpoint of development. There are several assumptions that individuals must overcome to transit from childhood to adulthood successfully. They include the fact they will always belong to their parents, that they always do things for their parents, and that life is controllable and simple. As people change to adulthood, some factors determine the route they take such as an individual's coping skills, social support, social class, and stress levels. The psychological approach further postulates people can only reach the peak of development through their active participations in the environment. It also asserts that adult development is a continuous process that moves towards more complex levels of life. 

Socio-Cultural Theory 

The theory advocates that to understand the adult development; it is imperative to analyze the culture in context. It asserts that individuals cannot be separated from the culture in which they live in, but instead are part of it. The culture in question influences the development of a person through shaping what they think, the activities they engage in, and when they can participate in certain activities. Adult development can also be affected by socio-cultural aspects such as class, race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. 

Integrated Approach 

This approach gives a holistic view with regards to adult development. It integrates the body, mind, and other socio-cultural influences and how they affect the development of an individual into adulthood. The spiritual dimension can also be included in the integration. The approach asserts that the life of a person is characterized by many changes that occur on different timelines. The changes during development include physical changes, family changes such as marrying and having children, work role changes, and emotional alterations. 

Levinson’s Theory 

Levinson, a psychologist, developed a theory of adult development known as seasons of life. The theory identifies various stages that occur when a person is developing into adulthood. The stages are marked by a certain event that leads to the birth of the next stage in the cycle. The first stage is referred to as early adulthood transition which falls between the age of 17 and 22. The hallmark of this stage includes the beginning of an individual to make choices about their lives. Individuals may join college or enter the workforce, and may also decide to leave home. The next stage comes between the age of 22 and 28 where an individual enters the adult world. More concrete decisions about life are made at this stage such as occupation, lifestyle, values, and friendship among others. From this stage, a person now enters a more complicated stage between the ages of 28 and 33 which is marked by major lifestyle changes, marriage, and having children among others. The theory further describes other stages such as the settling down, midlife, and late adulthood stages. According to Sussman & Arnett, (2014), a critical point in Levinson's theory of development is that in each stage there is a stable period where a person makes important choices in life, and there is also a transitional period where one stage ends and one is required to enter another. The theory further proves that development is a sequential process where each stage is critical. 

Vaillant’s Theory 

The theory identifies the tasks that must be carried out for one to be regarded as an adult. The first important task is gaining an identity. This is important because it helps the adolescents to separate themselves from their parents. The identity is built through beliefs, passions, and values. The next task that must be undertaken is to develop intimacy. It involves expansion through making positive relationships with others. The third task is developing career goals and generosity, which involves giving back to the society. Other important tasks that usher an individual into adulthood involve developing values and morals such as honesty and integrity that help in building relationships. 

Conclusion  

It is vital to note that the development of an individual and the building of an identity occur socially, emotionally, and through the construction of meaningful relationships. The theories described agree in some things. First, the society is vital in determining how an individual develops into a young adult. They also agree that development is a sequential process where each step is important in the development of the other. Also, it is a holistic model that involves the complete revolution of the mind and the body. As a person moves to adulthood, they develop relationships which can either be social or romantic. They help in placing an individual in their rightful position in the society. Lastly, the theories also agree that adulthood comes with roles and responsibilities that must be undertaken. 

References  

Arnett, J. J. (2014). Adolescence and emerging adulthood . Boston, MA: Pearson. 

Emerging Adults: The in-between Age http://www.apa.org/monitor/jun06/emerging.aspx 

Furlong, A. (Ed.). (2016). Routledge Handbook of Youth and Young Adulthood . Taylor & Francis. 

Rauer, A. J., Pettit, G. S., Lansford, J. E., Bates, J. E., & Dodge, K. A. (2013). Romantic relationship patterns in young adulthood and their developmental antecedents. Developmental Psychology , 49 (11), 2159. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3830676/ 

Sussman, S., & Arnett, J. J. (2014). Emerging adulthood: developmental period facilitative of the addictions. Evaluation & the health professions , 37 (2), 147-155. 

Young Adults Identities and Their Pathways: A Developmental and Life Course Model https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3792649/