It’s Peter Pan’s Fault, Actually

My roommate recently told me about an article in the New York Times called “What Is It About 20-Somethings?” The article is long and covers a lot of different things, but the main gist is that our twenties may be another developmental stage, like adolescence, though less hormonal (for some, anyway). This might be the explanation, at least according to Clark University psychology professor Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, of why twentysomethings nowadays are taking longer to grow up.

Of course, not every twentysomething is single and living with his/her parents. My 26-year-old best friend, for example, is married, has a decent-paying job, and is currently paying a mortgage on the house she and her husband bought. This inconsistency is a major problem for defining the twenties as a developmental stage (because everybody has to experience it in order for it to be classified as such). (It would have been nice if adolescence had been an optional stage. Just saying.)

Personally, I’ve felt pretty lame at times that I’m approaching my late twenties and I’m not “all set up” (and it’s not for lack of trying). I’ve definitely felt the (self-imposed?) pressure of what Arnett refers to as “the age 30 deadline.” But even if Arnett’s findings don't technically classify the twenties as a developmental stage, it’s nice to see that there are other twentysomethings out there grappling with what it means to be an adult.