| Course | SBS 200 Human Development |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 5 |
| Paper type | Emerging adulthood paper |
| Length | About 1,032 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Psychology and Addiction Studies |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for SBS 200 Module 5
Back in Her Old Room at Twenty-Three: Emerging Adulthood, Family Support and Two Cultural Views of Growing Up
Student Name
Psychology and Addiction Studies Program, Aspen University
SBS 200: Human Development
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Back in Her Old Room at Twenty-Three: Emerging Adulthood, Family Support and Two Cultural Views of Growing Up
My daughter Sofia graduated last spring with a degree in biology. She found work as a part-time lab assistant, but rent for even a small apartment in the city took most of her pay, so in August she moved back into her childhood bedroom in our Kansas City suburb. She is applying to graduate programs and saving money. My parents, who came to the United States from Mexico, see nothing unusual: in their families, adult children lived at home until they married, and helping them was simply what families do. Our neighbors see it differently. One asked me, kindly but pointedly, when Sofia would be on her own. This paper examines Sofia's situation through research on emerging and early adulthood and the cultural views in my family. The family in this paper blends several real households; the research it cites is real.
A Period Between Adolescence and Adulthood
Arnett (2000) proposed that the years from about eighteen to twenty-five, later extended into the late twenties, constitute a distinct developmental period in industrialized societies, which he called emerging adulthood. It is distinct from adolescence because young people have left the dependency of childhood, and distinct from young adulthood because they have not yet taken on the roles, such as stable work, marriage and parenthood, that define adulthood in many cultures. He described five features: identity exploration in love, work and worldviews; instability, reflected in frequent changes of residence and jobs; self-focus; the feeling of being in between, neither adolescent nor adult; and a sense of possibilities. Importantly, Arnett argued that emerging adulthood exists only where economic and social conditions allow young people a prolonged period of exploration, and that it may look different, or not exist, in other settings.
A Longer and More Varied Path
Settersten and Ray (2010) examined how the transition to adulthood had changed in the United States. They found that young people were taking longer to complete the traditional markers of adulthood, finishing school, leaving home, becoming financially independent, marrying and having children, and that the order of these steps had become less predictable. The causes, they argued, were largely structural: more years of education were needed for good jobs, wages for young workers had stagnated, housing costs had risen and the job market offered fewer stable entry-level positions. Young people from families with resources could use the longer transition to build education and skills, while those without support faced greater risks.
Sofia's situation fits their account. Her return home reflects the cost of housing and the need for more education in her field, not a lack of ambition.
What Parental Support Does
The neighbors' concern implies that support from parents keeps young adults from growing up. Fingerman et al. (2012) tested that assumption. In a national sample of middle-aged parents and their grown children, they found that intense support, parents helping a grown child several times a month with advice, emotional support, practical help or money, was common. Young adults who received intense support reported clearer goals and higher life satisfaction than those who received less, although parents who gave intense support to children they saw as having greater needs reported less satisfaction with their own lives. The researchers concluded that intense parental support could help young adults during a demanding transition.
Two Views of Becoming an Adult
| Marker | My parents' view | The neighbors' view | What research suggests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Living on one's own | Not required; family lives together | Central marker | Economic conditions shape timing |
| Financial independence | Contributing to the family counts | Paying one's own way | A gradual process for many |
| Marriage | The main transition | One step among others | Increasingly delayed and optional |
| Accepting responsibility | Caring for family | Making one's own decisions | Young adults themselves rank this highly |
What Sofia Says
Sofia herself does not feel like a failure. When I asked her how she sees her situation, she said she feels like an adult in some ways and not in others: she pays her phone bill, manages her own schedule and makes her own career choices, but she does not yet feel settled. That description matches Arnett's feeling of being in between almost word for word. She also said that living at home lets her apply to programs she could not otherwise afford to apply to and that she likes being near her grandmother. Her account suggests that the research describes her experience better than either the neighbors' worry or my parents' certainty.
Culture and Family in Sofia's Story
In my parents' tradition, the family remains a shared household, and a young woman living at home while she studies is responsible, not dependent. In the neighbors' view, which reflects a widely held American middle-class ideal, moving out marks adulthood. Arnett's caution matters here: emerging adulthood as he described it is shaped by culture and resources, and families like mine have always defined adulthood partly through obligations to others. Sofia pays a small rent, cooks for the family twice a week and drives her grandmother to appointments, contributions that, in my parents' eyes, show adulthood more clearly than a separate apartment would.
Reflection
I confess that the neighbor's question stung, and for a few weeks I worried that we had made it too easy for Sofia to stay. The research reassured me and challenged me. It reassured me that support during this transition is common and often helpful. It challenged me to be clear with Sofia about expectations, which we have now written down: rent, chores and a plan to reassess in a year. My parents' view also reminded me that independence is not the only sign of maturity; responsibility toward others is another.
Conclusion
Sofia's return home is a normal path in her generation and in her family's culture. Arnett describes emerging adulthood as a period of exploration shaped by social conditions, Settersten and Ray show that the transition to adult roles has lengthened for structural reasons and Fingerman and colleagues find that strong parental support can help young adults through it. With clear expectations, living at home can be part of becoming an adult rather than a delay of it.
References
Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55(5), 469-480. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.5.469
Fingerman, K. L., Cheng, Y.-P., Wesselmann, E. D., Zarit, S., Furstenberg, F., & Birditt, K. S. (2012). Helicopter parents and landing pad kids: Intense parental support of grown children. Journal of Marriage and Family, 74(4), 880-896. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2012.00987.x
Settersten, R. A., Jr., & Ray, B. (2010). What's going on with young people today? The long and twisting path to adulthood. The Future of Children, 20(1), 19-41. https://doi.org/10.1353/foc.0.0044
Reading the SBS 200 Module 5 assignment instructions
Emerging and early adulthood are the topic of SBS 200's fifth module, and the paper commonly wants a question about becoming an adult examined in its cultural and family setting, with research weighed against experience. Your Aspen classroom's Module 5 directions come first; the family here is a composite. Explain how this period of life is defined and why. Present research on the transition to adulthood. Compare cultural views of what makes someone an adult. Apply the research to a real situation in a family. Reach a balanced conclusion, giving APA 7 references for every study and noting where economics, not attitudes, explains a trend.
How this SBS 200 Module 5 example is built
Sofia graduated with a biology degree, could not afford rent in the city on a lab assistant's part-time pay and moved back into her childhood bedroom in a Kansas City suburb. Her grandparents, who came from Mexico, see nothing unusual: in their view, children live at home until marriage. The neighbors ask her mother when Sofia will be on her own. Arnett (American Psychologist) supplies emerging adulthood and the qualities he saw in it, from trying out identities and moving often to a sense that life is still wide open. Settersten and Ray (The Future of Children) explain why the transition to adult roles takes longer and depends on resources. Fingerman and colleagues (Journal of Marriage and Family) show that frequent, intense support from parents is common and linked to clearer goals and better life satisfaction. A table compares markers of adulthood in each view. The reflection concludes that Sofia is pursuing adulthood on a path her family's culture supports and her generation's economy requires.
Reading the SBS 200 Module 5 grading rubric
Papers on emerging adulthood earn credit for defining the period accurately, using research to explain trends and treating cultural differences fairly. This example presents Arnett's five features and his claim that emerging adulthood depends on social and economic conditions, which keeps the concept from being treated as universal. Settersten and Ray's research explains the trend with economics and education rather than character. Fingerman and colleagues' findings directly address the neighbors' worry that support from parents is harmful. The table makes the cultural comparison clear, and the reflection weighs both views against the evidence. The conclusion is balanced and specific to the family.
Common SBS 200 Module 5 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Papers on young adults living at home often treat it as a sign of immaturity or, in reaction, as purely a sign of hard times. Use research to show both the economic and cultural reasons. Another weakness is describing emerging adulthood as universal when Arnett tied it to industrialized societies and to resources. Compare cultural views of adulthood fairly, including your own family's. Avoid generalizing from one young adult. Report what studies of parental support actually found rather than assuming it harms independence. Finally, end with what would make the arrangement work for the family, such as shared expectations about rent, chores and timing.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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SBS 200 Module 5 questions, answered
What does SBS 200 Module 5 usually ask for?
Aspen's SBS 200 covers emerging and early adulthood in this module, so examining the transition to adulthood in cultural and family context is typical. Read your Module 5 prompt.
What is emerging adulthood?
Arnett's name for the stretch from the late teens through the twenties, when many young people try out identities, move often, focus on themselves and feel neither teen nor adult.
Is it bad for young adults to live with their parents?
Not necessarily. Fingerman and colleagues found intense parental support of grown children common and linked to better adjustment.
Where can I find a free SBS 200 Module 5 sample paper?
The whole paper is posted above at no cost; it follows a made-up college graduate who moves home at twenty-three and asks what that says about growing up.
Why does reaching adulthood take longer now?
Settersten and Ray linked the longer path to more years of education, higher costs and a less predictable job market.