4.  It’s all up to me but who am I?

Emerging adulthood is a time of searching for concrete answers to big questions.  Faced with the necessity of mapping out their future and in the absence of contextual support on how to do that, the only person emerging adults can turn to for answers is themselves.  Finding their way in life becomes a lengthy do-it-yourself project.

Discovering what life is all about for these young people begins with finding out who they are and what they can do.  This is another defining characteristic for these emerging adults.  At the start of their twenties they, by their own admission, don’t know who they are, what they can do or what they should be doing with their lives.  The famous philosopher Rene Descartes wrote centuries ago cogito ergo sum, “I think, therefore I am.”   Today’s emerging adults are more likely to exclaim with some frustration: “I think and think, and think, but I still don’t know who I am!”   Discovering what life is all about for these young people begins with discovering their identity.  Identity exploration takes up much of their time and effort during their twenties.