Flourishing in Emerging Adulthood

Positive Development During the Third Decade of Life

Edited by Laura M. Padilla-Walker and Larry J. Nelson

Emerging Adulthood Series

Includes personal essays written by emerging adults from diverse backgrounds, providing their perspective on challenges and successes across a wide range of topics
One of the first works to consider ways in which young people flourish during emerging adulthood
An engaging foreword written by Dr. Lene Arnett Jensen reflects on how readers can relate to emerging adults and contribute to their flourishing
Authors come from a variety of theoretical perspectives and highlight diverse ways to flourish across cultures and contexts

Flourishing in Emerging Adulthood

Positive Development During the Third Decade of Life

Edited by Laura M. Padilla-Walker and Larry J. Nelson

Description

Flourishing in Emerging Adulthood highlights the third decade of life as a time in which individuals have diverse opportunities for positive development. There is mounting evidence that this time period, at least for a significant majority, is a unique developmental period in which positive development is fostered. Dr. Lene Arnett Jensen highlights the importance of this work in an engaging foreword, and chapters are written by leading scholars in diverse disciplines who address various aspects of flourishing. They discuss multiple aspects of positive development including how young people flourish in key areas of emerging adulthood (e.g., identity, love, work, worldviews), the various unique opportunities afforded to young people to flourish, how flourishing might look different around the world, and how flourishing can occur in the face of challenge. Most chapters are accompanied by first-person essays written by a range of emerging adults who exemplify the aspect of flourishing denoted in that chapter and make note of how choices and experiences have helped them transition to adulthood. Taken together, this innovative collection provides rich evidence and examples of how young people are flourishing as a group and as individuals in a variety of settings and circumstances. This unique resource will be useful to students, faculty, professionals, clinicians, and university personnel who work with young adults or who study development during emerging adulthood.

Flourishing in Emerging Adulthood

Positive Development During the Third Decade of Life

Edited by Laura M. Padilla-Walker and Larry J. Nelson

Emerging Adulthood Series

Foreword by Lene Arnett Jensen
About the Editors
Contributors

Section 1: Positive Development during Emerging Adulthood

1. Flourishing in Emerging Adulthood: An Understudied Approach to the Third Decade of Life
Laura M. Padilla-Walker and Larry J. Nelson

2. Identity Formation and Moral Development in Emerging Adulthood
Daniel Lapsley and Sam A. Hardy
Emerging Adult Essay: Between "being" and "having": How faith and charity changed my life

3. The Role of Purpose Among Emerging Adults
Kendall Cotton Bronk and Rachel Baumsteiger
Emerging Adult Essay: Be japy - We make people happy

4. Healthy Transitions to Family Formation
Erin Holmes, Geoffrey Brown, Kevin Shafer, and Nate Stoddard
Emerging Adult Essay: Success Through Hands and Feet
Emerging Adult Essay: Charlie and Me

5. Healthy Transitions to Work
Phil Gardner and Georgia Chao
Emerging Adult Essay: Surviving the Usual
Emerging Adult Essay: What Color is your Collar

6. The Role of Civic and Political Participation in Successful Early Adulthood
Dan Hart and Anne Van Goethem
Emerging Adult Essay: History Shapes Us, Molds Us, and is Part of Us
Emerging Adult Essay: Generation Citizen

7. Environmental Activism in Emerging Adulthood
Kyle Matsuba, Susan Alisat, and Michael Pratt
Emerging Adult Essay: Founder, Spirit Bear Youth Coalition
Emerging Adult Essay: Turning our Unfortunate Past into our Strengths: The Story of Ruganzu

8. Positive Relationships as an Indicator of Flourishing During Emerging Adulthood
Laura Padilla-Walker, Madison Memmott-Elison, and Larry Nelson
Emerging Adult Essay: Change
Emerging Adult Essay: Grandparents' Influence on Developmental Growth

9. "I Think, Therefore I Do": Cognitions Related to Flourishing in Emerging Adulthood
Larry Nelson, Nathan Jorgensen, and Adam Rogers
Emerging Adult Essay: Marriage: It is our cornerstone rather than capstone

Section 2: Unique Opportunities for Service during Emerging Adulthood

10. National Service as an Institutional Pathway to Flourishing
Victoria Faust and Constance Flanagan

11. Cultural Immersion as a Context for Promoting Global Citizenship and Personal Agency in Young Adults
Bryan Sokol, Katie Gauthier Donnelly, Justin Vilbig, and Katie Monsky
Emerging Adult Essay: Crossing Borders
Emerging Adult Essay: Finding Purpose Through a Romanian Adventure

12. Military Service in Midlife
Meredith Kleykamp, Ryan Kelty, and David Segal
Emerging Adult Essay: Taking the Long Road

13. Crucibles of Transformation: Religious Service and Emerging Adults
Pamela King and Christine Merola
Emerging Adult Essay: Sweden: A Beautiful Crucible
Emerging Adult Essay: My Crucible Flame: My Encounter with the Street Children of Lima, Peru

Section 3: Positive Development Around the World

14. Positive Development in Africa
Joseph Lah Lo-oh
Emerging Adult Essay: Overcoming Challenges During Young Adulthood
Emerging Adult Essay: My Life My Struggle

15. Volunteer Work among Young Adults in Asia
Ben Law, Daniel Shek, and Rosemary Liang
Emerging Adult Essay: The positive impact of volunteerism on young adults

16. Flourishing Through Participation: Positive Young Adult Development in Australia and New Zealand
Bonnie L. Barber
Emerging Adult Essay: Sport as a vehicle for growth

17. Flourishing in European Emerging Adults: The Challenges of Positive Development in a Continent of Inequality
Oliver Robinson and Rita Zukauskiene
Emerging Adult Essay: In a strange land but a stranger no more

18. Positive Development in Latin American Emerging Adults
Alicia Facio, Maria Cecilia Sireix, and Maria Eugenia Prestofelippo
Emerging Adult Essay: I Believe

Section 4: Positive Development in the Face of Challenge

19. Former Foster Care Youth and Resilient Functioning in Young Adulthood: Predictors of Success and Future Research Directions
Manfred Van Dulmen and Haylee DeLuca
Emerging Adult Essay: Stepping in when others step back

20. Healing From Inner City Violence
Jocelyn R. Smith Lee

21. Offender Rehabilitation and Reentry during Emerging Adulthood: A Review and Introduction of a New Approach
Michael Rocque, Judy Plummer-Beale, and Agneiska Serwick

22. The Transition to Adulthood for Those With Disabilities
Ryan Kellems, Dawn Rowe, Denya Palmer, and Caroline Williams
Emerging Adult Essay: Jenny Lu Designs
Emerging Adult Essay: Life Moving Forward: A Personal Perspective on Transitioning into Adulthood

23. Emerging Adults Who have Flourished Through a Physical Health Challenge
Jaehee Yi, Tian Tian, and Jonghee Kim
Emerging Adult Essay: Cancer: Why I can't look at anything the same again

24. Positive Development during Emerging Adulthood for Queer Populations
Christina Peter, Russell Toomey, Justin Heinze, and Stacey Horn
Emerging Adult Essay: Pathways to positive development for Queer Emerging Adults

25. Emerging Adults and Migration: Diversity and Social Contributions
Hinda Seif and Jason Jenkins

Index

Flourishing in Emerging Adulthood

Positive Development During the Third Decade of Life

Edited by Laura M. Padilla-Walker and Larry J. Nelson

Emerging Adulthood Series

Author Information

Laura M. Padilla-Walker, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University. Her research focuses on how parents and other socialization agents (e.g., media, siblings) help to foster prosocial and moral development during adolescence and emerging adulthood.

Larry J. Nelson, PhD, is a Professor in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University. His research examines social and emotional development in childhood with a particular emphasis in shy and withdrawn behaviors, flourishing and floundering during the third decade of life, and the role of parents and culture in the transition to adulthood.

Contributors:

Susan Alisat
Wilfrid Laurier University

Bonnie L. Barber
Menzies Health Institute Queensland
Griffith University

Rachel Baumsteiger
Claremont Graduate University

Kendall Cotton Bronk
Claremont Graduate University

Geoffrey Brown
University of Georgia

Georgia T. Chao
Michigan State University

Haylee DeLuca
Kent State University

Katie Gauthier Donnelly
Saint Louis University

Alicia Facio
Universidad Nacional de Entre Rios, Argentina

Victoria Faust
University of Wisconsin

Constance Flanagan
University of Wisconsin

Philip D. Gardner
Michigan State University

Sam A. Hardy
Brigham Young University

Daniel Hart
Rutgers University

Justin E. Heinze
University of Michigan

Erin Kramer Holmes
Brigham Young University

Stacey S. Horn
University of Illinois at Chicago

Jason Jenkins
University of Illinois at Springfield

Nathan A. Jorgensen
Brigham Young University

Ryan O. Kellems
Brigham Young University

Ryan Kelty
Washington College

Jonghee Kim
University of Utah

Pamela Ebstyne King
Fuller Theological Seminary

Meredith Kleykamp
University of Maryland

Joseph Lah Lo-oh
University of Buea, Cameroon

Daniel Lapsley
University of Notre Dame

Ben M. F. Law
University of Hong Kong

Rosemary L. Y. Liang
Hong Kong Polytechnic University

M. Kyle Matsuba
Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Madison K. Memmott-Elison
Brigham Young University

Christine M. Merola
Fuller Theological Seminary

Katie Monsky
Saint Louis University

Larry J. Nelson
Brigham Young University

Laura M. Padilla-Walker
Brigham Young University

Denya Palmer
Brigham Young University

Christina R. Peter
Los Angeles Valley College

Judy Plummer-Beale
Maine Department of Corrections

Michael W. Pratt
Wilfrid Laurier University

María Eugenia Prestofelippo
Asociacion de Terapia Cognitiva, Argentina

Oliver Robinson
University of Greenwich

Michael Rocque
Bates College

Adam A. Rogers
Arizona State University

Dawn A. Rowe
University of Oregon

David R. Segal
University of Maryland

Hinda Seif
University of Illinois at Springfield
University of California, San Diego

Agnieszka Serwik
Maine Department of Corrections

Kevin Shafer
Brigham Young University

Daniel T. L. Shek
Hong Kong Polytechnic University

María Cecilia Sireix
Asociacion de Terapia Cognitiva, Argentina

Jocelyn R. Smith Lee
Marist College

Bryan W. Sokol
Saint Louis University

Nate Stoddard
University of Missouri

Tian Tian
University of Utah

Russell B. Toomey
The University of Arizona

Manfred H. M. van Dulmen
Kent State University

Anne van Goethem
University of Amsterdam

Justin M. Vilbig
Saint Louis University

Caroline Williams
Brigham Young University

Jaehee Yi
University of Utah

Rita Zukauskien
Mykolas Romeris University, Lithuania