Christian Smith: Lost in Transition: The Dark Side of Emerging Adulthood

Excerpt

Christian Smith’s book, Lost in Transition: The Dark Side of Emerging Adulthood, attempts to focus not on the positive, but the negative aspects of emerging adulthood in the United States. He does so by making use of his 2007–2008 study of over 200 personal interviews and telephone surveys with young adults between the ages of 18–23. Smith builds on a study that he began in 2001 with over 3,200 telephone surveys, with a sample of youth between 17 and 23 years old. Smith presents the message that there is a need to focus on the negatives to expand our understanding of emerging adults. He argues that many studies already have been done to give society the thought that this time of growth is “nothing new” and “just a phase.” He argues that a focus on negative aspects of development will help to highlight that this period of development is indeed something new and not just a phase. In doing so, Smith describes some of the main reasons why emerging adults have changed and stresses that the problems of 18–23 year olds is not only their problem but also “… ultimately problems of our entire culture and society” (Smith 2011, p. 11). He argues that mass consumerism, alcohol/drugs, sex, and politics have blurred the positive lines, and in doing so they have cleared or at least shed light on the negatives. …