As a therapist and a parent of young adults, the economic headwinds faced by this age group (as well as older workers) cannot be ignored. Check out the NY Times economic synopsis by The Editorial Board titled Recovery for Whom?
Looking at young adult development through purely a psychological lens ignores significant aspects of the issues here. I’d note that even when young adults today are making significant progress in their career track, the problematic experiences of their peers impacts their confidence in both their economic and relational futures.
Yet, while the state of the economy and career prognosis is profoundly relevant, there is more to the story. Young adults of today, more than previous generations, are increasingly interested in living lives defined by meaning above the pursuit of financial success or happiness. MEANING, of course, is a mercurial concept. My way of understanding it is a desire to feel our lives have purpose, value and impact. Additionally a defining feature is of meaning is connection.
So, while income measures and all those scary stats we learn from editorial are difinitively important, the larger picture of the persuit of meaningful lives cannot be underestimated. A starting point of the process of therapy tends to be taking stock of the parts of our lives that we have no control over and find some spacious acceptance of those. From there, let’s see where the persuit of meaning can lead to a life deeply worth leading.