An essay forum by the Changing SEA project, made possible
by a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc.

Edited by Tim Clydesdale, Professor of Sociology,
The College of New Jersey

Who are emerging adults? What do we know about them? What do we need to learn? Popular observers make inconsistent claims, labeling emerging adults as smart, successful, optimistic, unmotivated, miserable, and narcissistic. If you are asking where you can find the real story, you have come to the right place. Welcome to Changing SEA.

Here you will find 15 essays on a range of topics related to the lives of emerging adults, written by highly regarded scholars, which synthesize an array of academic articles, summarizing key points and making them accessible and useful for your ministry. We invite you to read these essays, read commentaries on them by ministry practitioners, and post comments of your own — so that this project becomes useful to the widest possible audience. You will also find weblinks to additional information about emerging adulthood on our resources page, which we encourage you to visit as well.

Emerging adults occupy a new phase of individual exploration and uncertainty, which begins at age 18 and extends into the upper 20s. This new phase, following adolescence but preceding full adulthood, is the result of global economic and cultural changes that have made financial independence more difficult to attain, pushed up the age at first marriage, and decreased parenthood. Many see emerging adults through a glass darkly. These excellent syntheses will help you to see them clearly and in all their complexity.

Essay Forum

• Emerging Adult Participation in Congregations
  Conrad Hackett, University of Texas at Austin
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• Engaging Emerging Adults in Civic Life
  Casey Clevenger, Brandeis University
  Wendy Cadge, Brandeis University
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• Faith and Spirituality Among Emerging Adults
  Penny Edgell, University of Minnesota
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• Friends and Friendships in Emerging Adulthood
  Carolyn McNamara Barry, Loyola University Maryland
  Stephanie D. Madsen, McDaniel College
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• Marriage and Family, Faith, and Spirituality Among Emerging Adults
  Annette Mahoney, Bowling Green State University
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• Media in the Lives of Young Adults: Implications for Religious Organizations
  Jill Dierberg, University of Denver
  Lynn Schofield Clark, University of Denver
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• Mental Health in Emerging Adulthood
  Jennifer L. Tanner, Rutgers University
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• Money and Debt Issues of Emerging Adults
  Joan Gray Anderson, University of Rhode Island,
  Barbara M. Newman,University of Rhode Island
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• Old School, New School, No School: Changing Paths Into,
  Through, and Out of College
  Elizabeth M. Lee, University of Pennsylvania
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• Racial and Ethnic Dynamics Among Contemporary Young Adults
  Gerardo Marti, Davidson College
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• Refashioning Family in the 21st Century: Marriage and Cohabitation
      Among America’s Young Adults
  John P. Bartkowski, University of Texas–San Antonio
  Xiaohe Xu, University of Texas–San Antonio
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• Sex in Emerging Adulthood: A Decade in the Sexual Gap
  Marla E. Eisenberg, University of Minnesota
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• Sexual Behavior in Young Adulthood
  Mark D. Regnerus, University of Texas at Austin
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• Trends in Political and Civic Behavior in Emerging Adults
  James Youniss, Catholic University of America
  Hugh McIntosh, Consultant
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• Work and Careers
  Penny Edgell, University of Minnesota
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