Presidential Address: The Emergence of Emerging Adulthood

Abstract

This article presents a brief history of the field of emerging adulthood, from the author’s early studies in the 1990s through the recent establishment of the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood (SSEA). Also included is an overview of the results of a recent national study, the Clark University Poll of Emerging Adults, which included items pertaining to the five features proposed in the theory of emerging adulthood. The results show that all five features are supported by a majority of 18- to 29-year-olds. The final part of the essay proposes that the SSEA will be international, open to a wide range of methods, and an organization where the leadership contributions of young scholars are encouraged and welcomed.