Arrested Adulthood: The Changing Nature of Maturity and Identity

by James E. Côté and James E. Cote

Book Overview

An examination into the social influences that have prolonged youth in today's adults

Why are today's adults more like adolescents, in their dress and personal tastes, than ever before? Why do so many adults seem to drift and avoid responsibilities such as work and family? As the traditional family breaks down and marriage and child rearing are delayed, what makes a person an adult?Many people in the industrial West are simply not "growing up" in the traditional sense. Instead, they pursue personal, individual fulfillment and emerge from a vague and prolonged youth into a vague and insecure adulthood. The transition to adulthood is becoming more hazardous, and the destination is becoming more difficult to reach, if it is reached at all. Arrested Adulthood examines the variety of young people's responses to this new situation. James E. C t shows us adults who allow the profit-driven industries of mass culture to provide the structure that is missing, as their lives become more individualistic and atomized. He also shows adults who resist anomie and build their world around their sense of personal connectedness to others. Finally, C t provides a vision of a truly progressive society in which all members can develop their potentials apart from the influence of the market. In so doing, he gives us a clearer vision of what it means to be an adult and makes sense of the longest, but least understood period of the life course.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0814715982
• ISBN13: 9780814715987
• Release Date: June 2000
• Publisher: New York University Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

If the Shoe Fits

People who read Arrested Adulthood could almost accuse Cote of being a conspiracy theorist--if he didn't state his case so convincingly. He argues that not only have traditional models and definitions of adulthood gone by the wayside, but they have been replaced by a new model (or perhaps non-model) which threatens to create a society in which clinical narcissism is the norm, not an aberration. Towards the end of the book, we discover that the villains of the piece are giant corporations. This is not because they make such good villains, but because their quest to create a society of perfect consumers has had the unintended side effect of the Frankensteinian rise of a generation of impulsive, irresponsible, and even selfish pseudo-adults. Whether or not you agree with Cote's theories, they make for fascinating reading, and the author supports his ideas with writings and research data from various branches of the social sciences. This book makes an intriguing lens for looking at our dynamic and sometimes disturbing modern culture. Update: Follow up on this book with Jean M. Twenge's new book, The Narcissism Epidemic!