How can we ensure that adolescent research is really assisting the optimal developmental transitions of young people, now and in the near future? Reframing Adolescent Research suggests that what is needed is a 'paradigm-shift', a movement towards implementing more systemic, innovative and inter-disciplinary approaches to youth research, which are more suited to resolving the real issues that young people face in the twenty-first century. Contributions from world-class academics examine theoretical concerns and methodological challenges to substantive areas in the field, considering possible limitations and weaknesses in current approaches. They argue for the need for 'unorthodox,' systemic inter-disciplinary research which looks beyond the social sciences to consider innovations and novel approaches to the study of adolescence and development across the lifespan. New theories, methods and interventions are presented that are essential to advancing the project of understanding adolescents and how they develop on a global stage. This ground-breaking volume will encourage debate and dialogue on the future of youth research. It is valuable reading for advanced students and researchers in adolescent development and developmental psychology.

Traditionally, the subject of adolescent development has been explored using a stage based approach, often with an emphasis on the potential risks and problems of adolescence. Taking a different approach, in this book the authors draw upon a wealth of research to examine the period of development from adolescence to adulthood from a dynamic systems perspective; investigating multi-facetted, multi-variable explanations surrounding the transitions and consequent transformations that occur in young peoples' lives, as they change from teenagers to young adults. The book considers the social institutions, interactions, contexts and relationships that influence each other, and young people, during developmental transitions. Topics covered include: dynamic systems theory in developmental and social psychology adolescents in social contexts compliments, lies and other social skills school, university and labour market transition adolescent health in a lifespan context family dynamics. Development from Adolescence to Early Adulthood will be key reading for academics, researchers and postgraduate students in the field of developmental psychology, as well as clinicians and policy makers working with young people.

Traditionally, the subject of adolescent development has been explored using a stage based approach, often with an emphasis on the potential risks and problems of adolescence. Taking a different approach, in this book the authors draw upon a wealth of research to examine the period of development from adolescence to adulthood from a dynamic systems perspective; investigating multi-facetted, multi-variable explanations surrounding the transitions and consequent transformations that occur in young peoples' lives, as they change from teenagers to young adults. The book considers the social institutions, interactions, contexts and relationships that influence each other, and young people, during developmental transitions. Topics covered include: dynamic systems theory in developmental and social psychology adolescents in social contexts compliments, lies and other social skills school, university and labour market transition adolescent health in a lifespan context family dynamics. Development from Adolescence to Early Adulthood will be key reading for academics, researchers and postgraduate students in the field of developmental psychology, as well as clinicians and policy makers working with young people.

How can we ensure that adolescent research is really assisting the optimal developmental transitions of young people, now and in the near future? Reframing Adolescent Research suggests that what is needed is a 'paradigm-shift', a movement towards implementing more systemic, innovative and inter-disciplinary approaches to youth research, which are more suited to resolving the real issues that young people face in the twenty-first century. Contributions from world-class academics examine theoretical concerns and methodological challenges to substantive areas in the field, considering possible limitations and weaknesses in current approaches. They argue for the need for 'unorthodox,' systemic inter-disciplinary research which looks beyond the social sciences to consider innovations and novel approaches to the study of adolescence and development across the lifespan. New theories, methods and interventions are presented that are essential to advancing the project of understanding adolescents and how they develop on a global stage. This ground-breaking volume will encourage debate and dialogue on the future of youth research. It is valuable reading for advanced students and researchers in adolescent development and developmental psychology.

The transition from adolescence to adulthood has undergone significant changes in recent decades. Unlike a half century ago, when young people in industrialized countries moved from adolescence into young adulthood in relatively short order at around age 20, now the decade from the late teens to the late twenties is seen as an extended time of self-focused exploration and education in pursuit of optimally fulfilling relationships and careers. Recognition of this new period is stronger than ever, but an important question remains: should emerging adulthood be considered a developmental stage, or a process?
In Debating Emerging Adulthood: Stage or Process? two pairs of developmental psychologists take sides in a debate that is central to the very concept of emerging adulthood. Arnett and Tanner argue that as young people around the world share demographic similarities, such as longer education and later marriage, the years between the ages 18 and 25 are best understood as entailing a new life stage. However, because the experiences of emerging adults worldwide vary according to cultural context, educational attainment, and social class, these two scholars suggest that there may not be one but many different emerging adulthoods. An important issue for this burgeoning area of inquiry is to explore and describe this variation. In contrast, Hendry and Kloep assert that stage theories have never been able to explain individual transitions across the life course; in their view, stage theories-including the theory of emerging adulthood-ought to be abolished altogether, and explanations found for the processes and mechanisms that govern human change at any age. This engaging book maps out the argument of "stage or process" in detail, with vigorous disagreements, conflicting alternatives, and some leavening humor, ultimately even finding some common ground. Debating Emerging Adulthood is an absolute must-read for developmental psychologists as well as anyone interested in this indisputably important time of life.