ABstract

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The concept of emerging adulthood is up for debate whether it is a stand-alone developmental stage in developmental psychology. However, it is not disputed that emerging adulthood is an important transitional stage in the human lifespan and needs to be considered when considering the maturation of young adults. An inclusive and operational definition of well-being has also been up for debate for decades, with several authors trying to build a comprehensive framework of well-being to use in research. However, the hurdles to achieving this may not be easy to overcome when considering the multidimensional nature of well-being about class, culture and age. The literature on well-being shows that emerging adults have been suffering from decreased levels of well-being for over a decade, with no clear indication as to why. Evidence points to emerging adults who take longer to mature into functioning and flourishing adult experience greater decreased levels of well-being than emerging adults who enter adulthood through increased demand for maturity. The concept of self-multiplicity has been examined whether it can have a positive effect on well-being in emerging adulthood with studies producing mixed results.