What Does It Really Mean to Be “Young” Today? Understanding Emerging Adulthood

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What Does It Really Mean to Be “Young” Today? Understanding Emerging Adulthood

By Transición Adultez 0

When we think about the transition to adulthood, we tend to picture a linear path: completing education, securing stable employment, achieving independence, and establishing a home. However, in contemporary society, this transition is no longer a direct leap, but rather a distinct journey compared to previous generations.

In developmental psychology, this period between the ages of 18 and 29 is no longer defined as “late adolescence” or “incomplete adulthood,” but as a developmental stage in its own right: Emerging Adulthood.

A Stage of Exploration and Constructive Instability

Unlike past generations, young people today face a markedly different socioeconomic and cultural landscape. Empirical research shows that Emerging Adulthood is characterized by five core dimensions:

  • Identity Exploration: Young individuals experiment with various academic, professional, and personal alternatives to address fundamental questions: Who am I? and What path do I want to build?
  • Instability: Rather than reflecting a “lack of direction,” it represents the necessary psychological flexibility to adapt aspirations to the actual opportunities offered by the environment.
  • Feeling “In-Between”: It is very common to perceive full autonomy in certain domains (such as daily decision-making or personal choices) while maintaining some degree of reliance in others (such as housing or financial stability). They do not identify as adolescents, yet they do not feel fully adult either.
  • Self-Focus: A key period where the primary emphasis is placed on developing personal resources, competencies, and life skills before taking on other long-term commitments.
  • Possibilities and Optimism: Despite contextual adversity, a pervasive sense of opportunity and hope for the future predominates.

The Role of Context and Scientific Evidence

This transition does not occur in a vacuum. Structural challenges such as housing accessibility, precarious employment, and mental health care directly shape how this period is experienced. Consequently, it is essential to stop evaluating youth trajectories through the lens of past standards.

Understanding Emerging Adulthood through scientific evidence allows us to design better public policies, tailored educational frameworks, and workplace environments aimed at fostering the genuine well-being of young people.

At the TAE Project, we work to generate evidence-based knowledge to guide institutions, educators, and families in supporting young adults through this vital stage of life.

The Transition to Adulthood in Spain (TAE) Project relies on the joint institutional collaboration of researchers from the Universidad de Sevilla, the Escuela Universitaria de Osuna (an affiliated center of the Universidad de Sevilla), and the Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea.
Project PID2024-155825NB-I00 financed by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER, UE.