“Are We There Yet?”
In 2000, Arnett proposed the Theory of Emerging Adulthood, which he defined as a unique developmental life stage between adolescence and adulthood, characterized by 5 features: i) identity development, ii) instability, iii) feelings of being in-between, iv) self-focus, and v) age of possibilities. The idea for this theory was premised on notable sociodemographic changes, including delays in traditional markers of adulthood (e.g., marriage, having children, and job/career stability). One major critique of the theory of emerging adulthood is that it is generally limited to industrialized societies where 18-to-29-year-olds have opportunities for self-exploration, in the absence of full adult responsibilities (Arnett, 2007). Prominent researchers in the field have highlighted the need to examine experiences of emerging adulthood among culturally diverse groups, including individuals from racial-ethnic minority groups in the U.S. (Syed & Mitchell, 2013).
A major gap in the field is a lack of understanding of the applicability of the theory of emerging adulthood among individuals from Caribbean islands (specifically Dominica and St. Martin), who are heavily exposed to aspects of North American culture through media exposure, but live in very different socio-cultural contexts. Individuals who were born and raised on these two islands, where Black is the dominant racial group, for example, do not share the burden of racial discrimination that has been documented as characteristic of African Americans.
Furthermore, existing research examining college samples in Western societies highlights the important role of both romantic and familial relationships in psychosocial adjustment during emerging adulthood, but little is known about the process of establishing romantic relationships among non-college samples and smaller English-speaking Caribbean islands. Currently, it is unknown how these close familial bonds found in village life within the Caribbean facilitate or hinder the development of romantic relationships because of cultural norms that value both independence and interdependence with respect to family obligations. Furthermore, there are marked differences in parenting styles regarding approaches to dating – a concept that may not even exist in its traditional Western form among the proposed sample. Therefore, the findings of the proposed study will have important implications for diversifying how researchers conceptualize the role of interpersonal relationships in the experience of emerging adulthood development.
The “Are We There Yet?” research project is a single-assessment qualitative study based on structured (online) interviews with a sample of 18- to 22-year-olds from two Caribbean islands: Dominica and St. Martin.
The objectives of the study were:
To examine perceptions of emerging adulthood versus adulthood status
To document the value and process of establishing romantic relationships, and
To explore the role of familial relationships in perceptions of emerging adulthood versus adulthood status, among a sample of 18- to 22-year-olds from Dominica and St. Martin.