Challenges for the emerging adult in becoming an authentic adult

Abstract

Emerging adulthood is a critical developmental phase preceding adulthood. Young individuals move through a transformational stage between adolescence and adulthood and must form new identities. The most prominent identity changes are social and occupational identities. Emerging adulthood is, therefore, associated with active identity exploration. Emerging adults are faced with questions such as: who am I? where am I going? how do I get there? The exploration of these questions result in various challenges. The researcher followed a qualitative research approach according to an exploratory phenomenological design. The interpretivist paradigm supported the use of phenomelogy and social constructivism. The participants were purposefully sampled from institutions of higher learning and data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews. Through observation and conversation, the researcher tried to understand the emerging adults’ world and the challenges they face and attempted to determine the type of guidance they need to become authentic adults. Data were analysed in accordance with Tesch’s method of content analysis for qualitative research. The findings revealed that a lack of self-knowledge is one of the major challenges young individuals often face. Other challenges include the complexity of interaction with individuals who have different worldviews; rapid changes; altered roles; new-found independence; feeling lost; and fear of rejection. In industrialised countries, the traditional unfolding of milestones has changed. These milestones are less noticeable and are often achieved in different sequences. No guidelines and support structures assist emerging adults in this challenging transitional phase. Parents, counsellors, mentors, spiritual leaders, and institutions should provide stability and emotional support but, in many cases, are not equipped to meet the unique needs of young individuals. The aim of this research was to provide these stakeholders with guidelines to mentor and guide emerging adults through their unique challenges.

Jong volwassenheid is ʼn kritieke ontwikkelingsfase wat volwassenheid voorafgaan. Jong individue bevind hulle tussen adolessensie en volwassenheid en moet nuwe identiteite vorm. Die mees prominente identiteitsverandering is die jong volwassene se sosiale en werkidentiteit. Die jong volwassene ondersoek dus nuwe identiteite en stel kritiese vrae soos: “Wie is ek?”, “Waarheen gaan ek?” en “Hoe kom ek daar?”. Hierdie soeke na nuwe identiteite stel verskeie uitdagings. ʼn Kwalitatiewe benadering word saam met ʼn ondersoekende, fenomenologiese navorsingsontwerp gevolg. Die interpretivistiese paradigma ondersteun ook die gebruik van die fenomenologie en sosiale konstruktivisme. Deelnemers aan die studie is doelbewus uit tersiêre instellings geselekteer, en data is versamel deur semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met hulle te voer. Die navorser het gepoog om deur onderhoude en waarneming van hulle gedrag en lyftaal ʼn grondige kennis van die jong volwassene se leefwêreld op te doen. Inhoude is met behulp van Tesch se metode geanaliseer. Verskeie uitdagings is geïdentifiseer, waaronder ʼn gebrek aan selfkennis, komplekse interaksies met individue wat ʼn ander wêreldbeskouing huldig; vinnig veranderde omgewings; nuwe rolle; nuutgevonde vryheid; koersloosheid; en vrees vir verwerping. In geïndustrialiseerde lande word die mylpale van volwassenheid boonop nie meer in die tradisionele volgorde bereik nie. Mylpale is minder duidelik en kom in ʼn ander volgorde voor. Geen riglyne en ondersteuning bestaan egter vir jong volwassenes nie. Ouers, voorligters, mentors, geestelike leiers en instansies behoort hulle te begelei, maar is dikwels nie daarvoor toegerus nie. Die oogmerk van hierdie navorsing is om hierdie rolspelers toe te rus om leiding te gee aan jong volwassenes wat met vele uitdagings worstel.

Ho kena boholong ke mokgahlelo wa bohlokwa wa ntlafalo ya pele ya ho hoba motho e moholo. Batjha ba feta mohatong wa phetoho o dipakeng tsa botjha le ho ba motho e moholo mme ba tlameha ho theha boitsebahatso bo botjha. Diphetoho tse hlahelletseng ka ho fetisisa tsa boitsebahatso ke boitsebahatso ba phedisano le ba mosebetsi. Ka hona, ho kena boholong ho amahanngwa le tlhahlobo e matla ya boitsebahatso. Batho ba kenang boholong ba tobane le dipotso tse kang: ke mang? ke ya hokae? ke fihla jwang moo? Tlhahlobo ya dipotso tsena e hlahisa diphephetso tse sa tshwaneng. Mofuputsi o latetse mokgwa wa patlisiso ya boleng ho latela moralo wa patlisiso e itshetlehileng tlwaelong ya boiphihlelo bo phetsweng ba sehlopha se itseng. Mohlala wa tlhaloso o tsheheditse tshebediso ya tlwaelo ya boiphihlelo bo phetsweng ba sehlopha se itseng le ho hlahiswa ha tsebo e tswang boiphihlelong le maikutlong a batho ha phedisano. Bankakarolo ba tswang ditheong tsa thuto e phahameng ba hlophisitswe ka disampole ka boikemisetso mme dintlha di bokelletswe ka mokgwa wa dipuisano tse batlang di hlophisitswe. Ka ho shebella le ho qoqa, mofuputsi o lekile ho utlwisisa lefatshe la batho ba kenang boholong le diphephetso tseo ba tobanang le tsona mme a leka ho fumana mofuta wa tataiso eo ba e hlokang hore e be batho ba baholo ba sebele. Dintlha di manollotswe ho latela mokgwa wa Tesch wa manollo ya ditaba bakeng sa patlisiso ya boleng. Diphumano di senotse hore ho hloka tsebo ke e nngwe ya diphephetso tse kgolo tseo batjha ba atisang ho tobana le tsona. Diphephetso tse ding di kenyelletsa ho rarahana ha tshebedisano le batho ba nang le maikutlo a fapaneng a akaretsang; diphetoho tse potlakileng; dikarolo tse fetotsweng; boipuso bo botjha; ho ikutlwa o lahlehile; le tshabo ya ho kgeswa. Dinaheng tse tswetseng pele diindastering, mehato ya bohlokwa eo dintho di etswang kateng ka tlwaelo e fetohile. Mehato ena ya bohlokwa ha e hlokomelehe haholo mme hangata e fihlellwa ka ditatellano tse fapaneng. Ha hona ditataiso le mekgatlo ya tshehetso e thusang batho ba kenang boholong mokgahlelong ona o thata wa phetoho. Batswadi, baeletsi, batataisi, baeta-pele ba semoya, le mekgatlo ba lokela ho fana ka botsitso le tshehetso ya maikutlo empa, maemong a mangata, ha ba hlomelwa ho fihlella ditlhoko tse ikgethang tsa batho ba batjha.