Today's Emerging Adults

Name and summarize the 4 points that Arnett discusses regarding why today 's Emerging Adults are often times viewed negatively.
In this article, Jeffrey Jensen Arnett discusses four main points which he believes are the reasons why today’s emerging adulthood are viewed negatively. One of these reasons is that “the later entrance into adult roles by today’s emerging adults is misinterpreted by older adults as selfishness” (Arnett 90). In other words, teenagers nowadays have the option to take their time before presuming their adult roles which was not open to teenagers back in the day. Compared to the 19th or even the early 20th century, teenagers in the 21st century have a lot more options available to them than before like higher education

This is a result of social norms that were established during their time which are not applicable to today’s young adults. They were taught and believed that work is not supposed to be fun or even the slightest bit an adventure.Work was simply a way for them to “put bread on the table and a roof over their heads” (Arnett 90). However, young emerging adults see work as something completely different. They want work to be an ongoing adventure that really excites them, offers them the stretch for self expression and development. This is quite true especially when I take a keen look at my dad and other elders in my household. They are constantly chasing after high paying jobs and their work aren’t exactly their dream jobs. However, they did so due to the overwhelming pressure from family and friends to settle down and start a family. Starting a family as fast as they did, they were forced by circumstance and pressure to enter a profession that they do not like just to provide and survive. Emerging adults now are growing in an era with great economic vitality that allows them to have a choice to go after jobs that are personally fulfilling. Moreover, they have the opportunity to even create jobs and expand the market if they are not already

I agree with this point because in my opinion it is very true and exactly what most adults say the first time they encounter an emerging adult. Older adults did not have the luxury of time to really exploring their identities or even think about themselves and what they find to be fulfilling. Even if they did, everything was controversial back then and their options would be very limiting. Instead they were forced into marriage at an early age. A personal example of this are my parents. My mother and father got married at a very young age due to the constant pressure from their parents to get a family and settle down. Especially in a third world country like Sierra Leone, they had fewer options than their peers in other parts of the world. They were both very eager about completing their educations and even attaining higher education. My dad got the opportunity to further himself by coming to the United States and attaining his bachelor’s degree in nursing. However, this was after 17 years. They both had to put their dreams on hold due to the demands of familial responsibilities. My mom was most vulnerable because in countries like Sierra Leone, the opportunities and roles for women are very limited. They were grandmothers, mothers, wives or someone 's daughter. Their entire identity was molded around their household because of the