Maya read the transcripts of his days. He had dropped out of college after the first semester—a spectacular failure of the "jock" persona. He was working at a call center, a job the study described as "soul-eroding." He wasn't acting anymore; he was hiding.
Maya, age 19 Setting: Suburban Midwest, USA Time period observed: Age 16 to 19 Maya read the transcripts of his days
She opened her textbook for her actual class, Development Through the Lifespan , and flipped to the chapter on Adolescence. It listed the theories. Erikson. Marcia. Arnett. It defined the terms: Identity Diffusion, Foreclosure, Moratorium. Maya, age 19 Setting: Suburban Midwest, USA Time
: A significant portion of Jeffrey Arnett’s foundational work, including several specific case studies and profiles of emerging adults, is available as a 47-page PDF excerpt . Marcia
Leo Theme: Emerging Adulthood & Instability
Maya looked back at the "Authentic Case Studies" file. She highlighted the final sentence: Authenticity... is a cycle of destruction and reconstruction.