1. Defining the Transition from Adolescence to Adulthood
Emerging Adulthood
Defining the Transition from Adolescence to Adulthood

2. Adolescence
At no other time except infancy do human beings pack so much development into such a short period.
During adolescence, children gain 50% of their adult body weight, become capable of reproducing, and experience an astounding transformation in their brains.

3. Physical Development: changes affecting your body, appearance, etc.
Briefly summarize each of the three stages.
Define the areas of development.
Physical Development: changes affecting your body, appearance, etc.
Cognitive Development: changes affecting your thought processes
Social-Emotional Development: changes affecting the way you form and maintain relationships, as well as your expression of emotions

4. Defining Adulthood
Transitioning from adolescence to adulthood is not clearly defined in Western Canada.
Some suggested criteria include . . .
achieving the age of majority/becoming an adult by law (18 in Canada)
becoming a self-reliant person
leaving your family of origin (the family in which you grew up)
finishing school
starting a career
forming supportive relationships
having children

5. Page 63 in the textbook.
Based on this graph, at what age would individuals most consistently be considered “adults”?
Becoming an adult within the family and community is now viewed as a transition, not an event (ie., it doesn’t happen immediately, in one moment, etc.) – emerging adulthood.
Although many Canadians feel they are fully adult by their late 20s, the boundaries of emerging adulthood are generally assumed to be about 18 to 34 years of age.

6. The Transition to Adulthood in Earlier Societies
In many animal species, the young are expected to leave the family when they become sexually mature.
According to anthropologist Robert Sapolsky (1997), male chimpanzees must leave the tribe in which they were raised, and join another tribe.
His observations suggested that the young males were unhappy about leaving, and often had to survive a fight with an older male of the new tribe before being accepted and allowed to mate.
Most animal species require sexually mature individuals to leave the family to find a mate so that they don’t mate with a sibling.
As such, it can be concluded sexual maturation is a sign of adulthood, and that preventing incest is a universal motivation for leaving home.

7. The Transition to Adulthood in Earlier Societies
Read pages 65 to 72 in your textbook. Respond to the following questions:
Describe how primitive human societies reflected a similar approach to adulthood as animal species.
In primitive human societies, why might independence and adulthood not be mutually inclusive?
Describe how the transition from the pre-industrial time period to the onset of industrialization changed the perception of adulthood from a functionalist perspective.
Why is sexual maturity not necessarily a marker of adulthood?
Communications theorist Neil Postman argued that “literacy and access to knowledge created the social division between childhood and adulthood” (1982). Using examples from the text, defend this perspective.
How have the changing workplaces of the 20th century affected an individual’s ability to fully transition into adulthood?

8. The Impact of Cohorts
A cohort is a grouping of people in society based on age. Cohorts correspond to fertility patterns, and are influenced by the social, economic, and political environment in which the members grow up.
Baby Boomers
1947 to 1966
women were having an average of just over four children
the Canadian economy was very prosperous at this time, and so Canadians knew they could afford large families
the future appeared very promising at this time
Baby Boomers represent the largest cohort by far – 1/3 of the Canadian population – and thus their influence is tremendous
Example: When their oldest segment reached their 30s in the late 1970s, they were just starting families and beginning to think about purchasing a house. As a result, the price of houses increased rapidly because there were far more potential buyers than sellers.
What is the current impact of Baby Boomers on your generation?
Boomers are retiring and are changing how we view aging in Canada.
Jobs may become more readily available, but in certain areas related to the aging population.
More care will need to be dedicated to aging population.
Boomers will live longer than previous generations – drain on economy?

9. The Impact of Cohorts Generation X Millennials
post WWII baby boom (1963 to 1981)
“baby-bust” generation; represents a declining period of fertility when women were averaging only 1.7 children each
Millennials
1980 to 1995
children of the Baby Boomers who created a mini-boom of their own
since they started to reproduce late, not as prolific as their parents, averaging fewer than two children per family
still represent over 20% of the Canadian population
What is the current impact of Millennials on your generation?
Millennials could still be in competition for jobs, etc. with current generation.
Impression of Millennials as lazy, dependent, etc. – does this reflect poorly on you?
What is Generation Z? What is the significance of their change in attitude from the previous generation? Do you feel like this description fits your attitude/drive?

10. The Difference Between Adults and Grown Ups
Watch the following Ted Talk by Dr. Lisa Damour.
Consider the following questions for discussion after viewing:
How does Damour distinguish between being an “adult” and being a “grown up”? Consider the criteria she uses.
What are Damour’s suggestions for helping adolescents “grow up”?
How do Damour’s descriptions differ from historical attitudes towards reaching adulthood?

12. Failure to Launch
In Canadian society in the 21st century, emerging adults seem to be leaving home, leaving school, starting work, getting married, and becoming parents several years later than was the case 100 years ago.
In the 1990s, this delay was termed “failure to launch”, suggesting that this was a problem affecting adult children, parents, and society – that adult children were unable – or unwilling – to achieve the milestones necessary to achieve adulthood.
Canadian sociologist Barbara Mitchell later employed the term “Boomerang Age” to more accurately describe a generation that moved in and out of their home of origin as they worked towards complete independence.
Whether society does not prepare young adults adequately for the challenges of modern society, workplaces require more extensive preparation before employing new workers, or the increased lifespan of individuals allows time for a more leisurely transition to adulthood, it is clear that young Canadians are making the transition to adulthood later than in previous generations.
Read the article “Delayed transitions of young adults”, noting evidence of current Canadian trends that defend the perspective that Canadian youth are taking longer to achieve full adulthood.
What reasons are provided to explain why transitions to adulthood have been delayed?
What are the implications of “emerging adulthood” for modern society?