Question

Describe how emerging adulthood is related to opportunities for identity exploration.

Indicate whether or not you are convinced that emerging adulthood exists. In your response, provide an explanation for why you do or do not believe emerging adulthood should be considered a new life stage

Answer 1

Eric Erickson's Theory of Psychosocial Development emphasizes on individual's relationship with the social environment for healthy development to occur throughout his lifespan. Erickson developed a theory to understand how a person's childhood, adolescence, adulthood, affects his entire life. He proposed Eight Stages which every person goes through in their life. Each stage is defined by a conflict which involves an individual's relationship with the social environment (mother, father, immediate relatives, peers, colleagues), that must be resolved in for healthy development to occur over a period of lifetime.

Identity vs role confusion, mostly comes into play during emerging adulthood or adolescences. Every individual goes through this phase of exploring their own identity. For years they are asked what to do and what not to do by parents and the society. However, at some point, individuals begin to explore their own identity. For instance, have you known of someone who was always the 'good girl'? The girl who plaited her hair, scored well in her tests and did exactly what her parents asked her to do? Suddenly, this girl goes out all guns blazing and dyes her hair orange. She makes it very clear to her parents that she does not want to study further and that she may get a summer job and will stick to it. This person is just exploring her identity. Understanding who she is, it is accompanied with role confusion where she is unsure of what she believes in and what she does not believe in. Until now it was about doing as her parents directed her to, but now she's figuring out what she wants and what she does not.

Emerging adulthood is a very crucial stage in one's life. It indeed exists and also should be considered as a new life stage because major psychological transformations take place during this stage.