TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD Melina GIARIO B2

Melina read articles on this topic as the evidence she provides shows but she added her own points of views and conclusions in this essay The transition to adulthood is critical but often misunderstood. As societal and economic changes have created new demands and challenges for young people, particularly those in the 18- to 25-year-old range, we now recognize emerging adulthood as a distinct period separate from adolescence and older adulthood (Arnett, 2004). During this period, emerging adults experience new life roles. When we were children , we espected our parents to decide for us They made decisions and it was very difficult for us kids to have control over our lives As time goes by, we learn that one day our parents won t be with us, either because they grow too old, or they pass away , so we realize we had better choose our own path in life W e can t depend on them for keeps. Even if we fully agree with their lifelong choices, Time will come for us to be in control . It s not whether we actually want or do not want to become independant : the time will come for us to have to do so , regardless of what we want to do This means we will have , or we had some time ago to create our own personal identity . Sometimes we experienced unhealthy behaviours, and very often we discovered that we were at odds with what our paren

ts presented to us as good options . We sought a change, we wanted to create our own path , even if it was quite different from the one they had shown us a the best path Throughout adolescence, there is a continued risk of experimentation with situations that may be risky for us kids, therefore it fowllos that listening to what our parents have to tell us is all too important , as they have probably gone through the same experiences as we are going through now and thus know about those risks . Parents usually wish to prevent their kids making serious mistakes that they may later on regret in later stages of their lives They are no longer minors and are faced with two additional life challenges: increased adult responsibilities and decreased familial support. Autonomy: Emotional and Behavioral Components A core element in the journey to adulthood involves the attainment of autonomy (Rice & Dolgin, 2008). During this time period, young people establish their uniqueness from others, and new interests, values, goals, and worldviews divergent from close others may emerge (Rice & Dolgin, 2008). As a normal developmental process, autonomy has been described as having two components: emotional and behavioral. Emotional autonomy refers to becoming free of childish emotional dependence on adults (Rice & Dolgin, 2008). Parents can either foster an overdependence on the developing young person or provide the opposite, a lack of guidance and support. Clearly, a balance of both is the most preferred course of action (Rice & Dolgin, 2008). Behavioral autonomy refers to youth learning to become more skilled in their own self-governing behavior and independent enough to make decisions on their own accord (Holmbeck et al., 2006; Rice & Dolgin, 2008). Young persons are faced with difficult choices sometimes either follow what their parents suggest or try their own way of doing things If you reading these lines have ever faced this dilemma , what did you do ? Did you take your partents warnings into account or did you make your own decision , even contradicting them ? An adolescent s lack of previous experience may lead him or her easily into error. Thus, it sounds reasonable alway to take your elder s experiences into account and then judge by yourself how you could improve on them so as not to make preduictable mistakes that might cause unnecessary suffering