The Romantic Lives of Emerging Adults

The romantic lives of emerging adults are often baffling and contradictory: they prize committed and authentic relationships, yet they appear to be reluctant participants, and they prefer to foster ambiguity in their romantic relationships, even as they value honesty and clarity. This book grapples with these perplexing questions and considers the challenging economic conditions in which today’s emerging adults find themselves. With an emphasis on the constructs of commitment and sacrifice and their centrality to emerging adults’ readiness for long-term relationships, the main milestones in transitioning from an I identity to a we identity are reviewed. The concepts of choice and risk are discussed and structures such as asymmetrically committed relationships, cohabitation, marriage, and divorce are examined through the lens of risk and risk avoidance. The book probes extensively into the romantic lives of emerging adults—their attitudes, values, and expectations. In doing so, this text examines some of the developmental and contextual realities against which romantic attachment must be viewed. Critical topics such as casual and sexual experiences and relationships, going solo, breakups, the integration of work and love, and social media and its influence are considered. Original qualitative data about the topic is presented. The chapters conclude with a “close-up look” at one or more emerging adults so that their romantic lives are brought to life more vividly. The commonality and the individuality of the emerging adults that are presented throughout this text contribute to a rich understanding of emerging adults and how they live and love.