In recent decades, the lives of people in their late teens and twenties have changed so dramatically that a new stage of life has developed. In this provocative work, Arnett identifies emerging adulthood as distinct from both the adolescence that precedes it and the young adulthood that comes in its wake. Rather than marrying and becoming parents in their early twenties, most people in industrialised societies now postpone these transitions until at least their late twenties, spending these years in self-focused exploration as they try out different possibilities in their careers and relationships. Emerging adults face the challenge of defending their new and longer road to adulthood to parents and others who entered adulthood at an earlier age in a different time. In spite of these challenges, Arnett's research shows that emerging adults are particularly skilled at maintaining contradictory emotions - they are confident while being wary, and optimistic in the face of large degrees of uncertainty. Merging stories from the lives of emerging adults themselves with findings from years of research, Arnett covers a wide range of topics, including love and sex, relationships with parents, experiences at college and work, and views of what it means to be an adult.