What does it mean to be an adult? Perceptions of adulthood among Lithuanian emerging adults

• Vosylis, Rimantas
• Kaniušonytė, Goda
• Raižienė, Saulė

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Besiformuojančio suaugusiojo tarpsnis; Tapsmo suaugusiu žymės; Emerging adulthood; Perceptions about adulthood.

ENThis exploratory study examined how Lithuanian emerging adults perceive adulthood. Participants (N = 313) were aged 18 to 23. Most of them (~70%) were studying at universities or other higher education institutions and some lived abroad. The questionnaire included various scales that measured positive youth development as well as a single open-ended question: „What does it mean for you to be an adult?“ Thematic analysis of the responses to this question uncovered 6 general themes which were labelled as follows: responsibility, self-sufficiency, independence / freedom, psychological changes, family life, “Can’t say, I don’t consider myself an adult yet”, and the evaluative dimension. The findings of this study suggest thatfor those undergoing the transition to adulthood responsibility, self-sufficiency and independence seem to be the key aspects of becoming an adult as they indicate the most significant character traits that represent adult person and adulthood in general. However, responsibility involves not just responsibility for one’s actions but also responsibility for the significant others and may even include civic responsibility. Self-sufficiency and independence primarily involve parents; however, these character traits extend beyond financial independence to a more general ability to control and steer one’s life in desired directions. This then leads to the next conclusion that, among Lithuanian emerging adults, becoming an adult is viewed as an internal gradual process. Finally, Lithuanian youth, similarly to the youth in other western industrialized countries, undergo a prolonged life phase that has a lot in common with the one that is characteristic of other European countries or US. [Researchgate.net]