If you’ve ever wondered why your adult child seems to be taking longer to “grow up” — choosing a career, settling into a relationship, or moving out for good — developmental psychologist Dr. Jeffrey Jensen Arnett has the research-backed answers you’ve been looking for.
In this Where Parents Talk podcast with host Lianne Castelino, Dr. Arnett — the scholar who created the field of emerging adulthood research and authored the landmark book Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens Through the 20s — explains why the journey to adulthood now unfolds across an entire decade, from age 18 to 29. He also discusses what that means for parents navigating this complex and emotionally charged stage.
Dr. Arnett draws on 30+ years of research, hundreds of interviews with young adults across all social backgrounds, and his own personal experience as a father of 26-year-old twins. He uses this knowledge to offer parents a compassionate, realistic, and research-grounded roadmap.
Key takeaways from this conversation:
- A clear definition of emerging adulthood and why it matters for parents
- The historical forces — economic, cultural, and social — that reshaped the timeline to adulthood
- How to distinguish between a young adult who is self-exploring vs. genuinely struggling
- Practical guidance on boundaries, communication, and knowing when to speak up
- Why preserving your relationship with your adult child matters more than enforcing your timeline
JEFFREY JENSEN ARNETT, PhD
Developmental Psychologist
Author
Senior Research Scholar, Clark University
Past-President, American Psychology Association.
Founding President, Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood
Father of two
“The parents see their kids in their 20s and they’re thinking, okay, now it’s time for you to be making choices that are going to be permanent and they’re going to make you a full adult, and especially in the early 20s, mostly emerging adults are thinking, not me, not yet. I still have a lot of growing to do.”
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