The Changing Transition to Adulthood 

with Richard A. Settersten, Jr., Ph.D.

■ Discussion Guide for Families 

This discussion guide is designed for families who are interested in learning more about the 

transition to adulthood today, how it has changed over time, what skills and capacities are 

helpful as young people navigate this transition, and the roles of families, schools, 

workplaces, and policies in the process. 

Richard A. Settersten, Jr., Ph.D., Professor of Human Development and Family Studies and

Endowed Director of the Hallie Ford Center for Healthy Children & Families in the College of 

Public Health and Human Sciences at Oregon State University, is an expert on life 

transitions. In his research, Dr. Settersten examines how what was once viewed as an 

established, straightforward path to adulthood has become a more complicated journey 

filled with uncertainty, shifting cultural expectations, growing social inequalities, and difficult 

economic choices and constraints. Scientific evidence often counters the perception of 

young adults as “slackers” and reveals that slower, strategic transitions to adulthood can be 

beneficial. He also cautions about the “illusion of independence,” describing how the need 

for parental and other types of support sometimes clashes with existing public policy and 

institutions. Dr. Settersten has written about this transition in books such as, “Not Quite 

Adults” and “On the Frontier of Adulthood,” and his work has been covered by many media 

outlets, including NPR, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Wall Street 

Journal. 

Here are a few tips for families:

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Plan for families to view Dr. Settersten’s video segments individually or as a group. 

The videos are on YouTube and are a total of approximately 30 minutes in length 

(divided into shorter segments that can be watched individually or together).

Decide who will facilitate the conversation.

Allow approximately 30 minutes to discuss the questions. If the group is larger than 

10 people, consider breaking into small groups.

Ask the facilitator to walk through the resource list with the group (and, if possible, to 

review the resources themselves before the session).
The Changing Transition to Adulthood

Discussion Guide for Families 2 

■ Discussion Questions 

1. The transition to adulthood has changed from the way it was in previous generations. 

Which changes strike you as particularly relevant to the journey of your adolescent or 

young adult?

2. Dr. Settersten remarked that a slower, strategic path to adulthood can be beneficial,

and that a “standard” or “conventional” route to adulthood has eroded. What do you 

think is important to communicate to youth about these varied paths? How could you 

best communicate this to youth you care about? 

3. Dr. Settersten described different kinds of markers of adulthood, especially focusing

on changes in traditional “social” markers – leaving home, finishing school, finding 

work, partnering, and parenting. He also mentioned more abstract “psychological” 

markers like developing a sense of maturity, responsibility, independence, and 

personal control. How have the youth in your life progressed on these types of 

markers of adulthood? Which things matter most for your view of young people, and 

their views of themselves, as “adults”? Do you care about the same things? 

4. Dr. Settersten elaborated on a handful of social skills and psychological capacities 

that are beneficial to young people today – including learning how to develop clearer 

plans and more differentiated goals, to create a sense of purpose, to build and 

maintain close personal relationships, to understand and relate to others who are 

different from them, to be resilient, and to be more self-aware and self-regulate 

emotions and impulses. Are these significant challenges for your youth? What might 

you do to help foster these skills and capacities?

5. What are three takeaway messages from Dr. Settersten’s presentation that you will 

share with adolescents in your life, family members, and other parents and 

interested adults? 

■ Additional Resources

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Richard A. Settersten, Jr. & Barbara E. Ray, Not Quite Adults: Why 20-Somethings Are 

Choosing a Slower Path to Adulthood, and Why It's Good for Everyone. New York: 

Bantam/Random House.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/164372/not-quite-adults-by-richardsettersten-phd-and-barbara-e-ray/9780553807400/

Richard A. Settersten, Jr., Timothy M. Ottusch, & Barbara Schneider, “Becoming 

adult: Meanings of markers to adulthood.” In R. A. Scott & S. M. Kosslyn (Eds.), 

Emerging trends in the social and behavioral sciences: An interdisciplinary, 

searchable, and linkable resource. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 
The Changing Transition to Adulthood

Discussion Guide for Families 3 

http://health.oregonstate.edu/biblio/emerging-trends-social-and-behavioralsciencesbecoming-adult-meanings-markers-adulthood

● Gordon Berlin, Frank F. Furstenberg, Jr., & Mary Waters (Eds.), Transition to 

Adulthood. A special issue of The Future of Children.

http://www.futureofchildren.org/sites/futureofchildren/files/media/transition_to_ad

ulthood_20_01_fulljournal.pdf (Free PDF)