Volume_5_Issue_1_Digest

2 TPC Digest Emerging adulthood is a stage of life resulting from recent societal trends in industrialized nations, occurring between the ages of 18 and 29. It is a time of many important life transitions and of significant mental health risk. The counseling community, however, has been slow to acknowledge the evolving landscapes of the late teens and twenties, frequently relying on outdated conceptual models of identity development. Accordingly, the purpose of this article is to educate counselors regarding the unique needs of their emerging adult clients. Emerging adulthood is a period of feeling in between, during which individuals are no longer adolescents but not yet adults. Several factors distinguish emerging adulthood from other life stages and from prior young adult generations, including demographic instability (e.g., frequent career change), changes in subjective self-perceptions (i.e., vague definitions of what it means to be an adult) and extended periods of identity testing (e.g., taking longer to commit to a long-term partner). These characteristics can lead to significant distress during the many life transitions that take place in emerging adulthood (e.g., leaving home, entering the workplace). A growing body of research suggests that these transitions are critical periods for emerging adult well-being, identity development and mental health. In light of these problems, emerging adult research has focused on examining predictors of positive developmental progressions through these periods of transition. Two such constructs that have received considerable attention are attachment and social support. According to attachment theory, a person’s earliest interactions with caregivers are internalized as subconscious representations of self and other, influencing social interactions throughout the lifespan, especially during times of distress. A wealth of research has found that relative attachment security is an important factor in many emerging adult transitions, including entering and leaving college, entering the workplace, and choosing romantic partners. Like attachment, social support is an important construct for emerging adult functioning since it is thought to mitigate stress during stressful situations. Social support refers to social relationships or interactions that provide individuals with actual or perceived assistance. These relationships are an integral component of adjustment and interpersonal development in emerging adulthood. Moreover, the relative quality of social support strongly predicts outcomes during many emerging adult transitions, notably the transition into the workplace. Thus, attachment and social support have important implications for counselors working with emerging adult clients, particularly those experiencing life transition. Counselors are encouraged to recognize the unprecedented complexity of emerging adult support networks due to the proliferation of social media and changing attitudes toward romantic relationships. Counselors should also understand the ways that insecure attachment strategies can interfere with support utilization and be armed with corrective attachment interventions to use with their clients. More broadly, it is important that counselors acknowledge the changing landscapes of young adulthood and consider Arnett’s theory of emerging adulthood when conceptualizing their emerging adult clients; this approach may assist counselors in honoring the process of emerging adulthood and prevent some of the common biases against this age group perpetuated in Western media (e.g., that young adults are narcissistic and entitled). Joel A. Lane, NCC, is the recipient of the 2014 Outstanding Dissertation Award for The Professional Counselor and is an Assistant Professor at Portland State University. Correspondence can be addressed to Joel A. Lane, Department of Counselor Education, Portland State University, Graduate School of Education, PO Box 751, Portland, OR 97207, lanejoel@pdx.edu . Counseling Emerging Adults in Transition Practical Applications of Attachment and Social Support Research Joel A. Lane Read full article and references: Lane, J. A. (2015). Counseling emerging adults in transition: Practical applications of attachment and social support research. The Professional Counselor , 5 , 15–27. doi:10.15241/jal.5.1.15