ABSTRACT
Based on the heuristic of the identity society and the connections of identity with meaning and purpose made in developed in the earlier chapters, this chapter is oriented by the question What is it like to grow up in identity societies? The focus is on the transition to adulthood—on the age periods generally referred to as adolescence and youth. The increasingly prolonged period of transition to adulthood has become a fact of life for recent generations. For some people this is an opportunity, allowing for extensive proactive identity formation and the accumulation of additional resources upon which to base a secure and beneficial adulthood. For others it can be a burden. In either case, growing up in identity societies is now a longer, and more hazardous, process in part because of new obstacles and misdirections. These hazards are related to the individualization of risk, including living with the consequences of choices made among myriad identities and their domains, in an increasingly wider array of social contexts. Mistakes in choices can have life-long and irreversible consequences, especially for those growing up with fewer family and personal resources. Four forms of adulthood are examined in the context of these individualized risks.
