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The Contemporary Context of Young Adulthood in the USA: From Demography to Development, From Private Troubles to Public Issues

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Early Adulthood in a Family Context

Part of the book series: National Symposium on Family Issues ((NSFI,volume 2))

Abstract

This chapter describes how the passage to adulthood in the USA has changed, and what this means for individuals, families, and societies. It highlights some radical shifts in “traditional” markers of adulthood, and some problematic ways that scholars and the public think about the early adult years. It describes a few larger hallmarks of these years today, and some of the social skills and psychological capacities that young people need for traversing them, especially to foster supportive social relationships and the ability to navigate social institutions. The chapter illustrates the sizeable role of family support in determining the success of young people, as well as the significant need to strengthen existing social institutions and policies, and create new ones, to better support young adults. It is crucial that the launching of children into adulthood not be so exclusively understood as a “private trouble” to be managed with personal resources and strategies, but instead be understood as a “public issue” that requires considerable collective investments for the sake of everyone.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA

    Richard A. Settersten Jr.

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  1. Richard A. Settersten Jr.
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Correspondence to Richard A. Settersten Jr. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Justice, Pennsylvania State University, Oswald Tower 513, University Park, 16802, Pennsylvania, USA

    Alan Booth

  2. Bowling Green State University, 239 Williams Hall, Bowling Green, 43403, Ohio, USA

    Susan L. Brown

  3. Pennsylvania State University, Oswald Tower 601, University Park, 16802, Pennsylvania, USA

    Nancy S. Landale

  4. , Departments of Sociology and Demography, Bowling Green State University, 239 Williams Hall, Bowling Green, 43403, Ohio, USA

    Wendy D. Manning

  5. The Pennsylvania State University, 601 Oswald Tower, University Park, 16802, Pennsylvania, USA

    Susan M. McHale

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Settersten, R.A. (2012). The Contemporary Context of Young Adulthood in the USA: From Demography to Development, From Private Troubles to Public Issues. In: Booth, A., Brown, S., Landale, N., Manning, W., McHale, S. (eds) Early Adulthood in a Family Context. National Symposium on Family Issues, vol 2. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1436-0_1

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