Arrested development(2)

Duan has conducted her own research in both rural and urban areas in China to ascertain whether Arnett's findings, whose examples focus on the US, are applicable to this country.

"Following China's economic boom, the lifestyles of young people in large cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou are analogous to their US counterparts," said Duan. "When I conducted a survey asking college students whether they believed they had reached adulthood, most of them replied that they had in some respects, and not in others."

Duan said that there was a correlation between urbanization and delayed entry into adulthood.

Those she interviewed from rural areas tended to get married relatively early, often upon graduation from middle school, while those living in the cities, even if they had grown up in rural areas, tended not to get married until much later.

I don't think I want to marry you

In China, one of the major causes of anxiety is the increasingly later ages at which people are getting married these days.

In an article published in the American Psychologist in 2000, Arnett argues that during the stage of emerging adulthood, dating and sexual relationships are part of a broader exploration of identity, which also involves shifting worldviews and attitudes towards work.

"It's characteristic of this stage that marriage is delayed until the ages of 28 or 29," said Duan.

The deferral of marriage until a later age these days does not mean that young Chinese are not dating. Rather, they are viewing it as part of a broader exploration of their identity, rather than as a one-way ticket down the aisle.

Xiao Sheng (pseudonym), 27, has had multiple relationships since graduating from college. But he said that at present, he has no plans to get married.

"It is a long road to marriage," said Xiao. "It takes time to find a soul mate, the one you'll spend your life with."

As part of this broader exploration of identity, economic considerations appear to be a deterrent against early marriage. Xiao said several of his previous relationships ended because either he or his partner at the time had to relocate for work.

Zhang Yushan, a 20-year-old student at Beijing Normal University, is also wary of marriage for economic reasons, despite having a boyfriend who is nine years older.

"It is too early to make any plans. I'm not economically independent, and although he is, we would still be poor," she said.

In consideration of the importance of marriage to a traditional Chinese definition of adulthood, Rachel Zhuo Han, a developmental psychologist at Beijing Normal University, is undertaking research investigating the relations between the attitudes of young people towards love and romantic relationships, and their psychological wellbeing in the context of Arnett's theory of emerging adulthood.

"How to form and maintain a romantic relationship is one of the key tasks for emerging adults," said Han. "We want to find out whether Arnett's theory could be applied to a group of urban young people in China, and to see what differences exist between Chinese and American emerging adults."

A particular area of interest for developmental psychologists testing Arnett's theory of emerging adulthood in a Chinese social context are the possible effects of China's one-child policy over the past decade.

It has been suggested in some quarters that the one-child policy, in producing children that are spoilt and lazy, is in part to blame for the extended period of dependency.

Han does not agree that this kind of behavior, described in China as kenlao, is necessarily a part of emerging adulthood. "There are individual cases of kenlao, but most people in their 20s are striving and working very hard to become independent."

Things will turn out fine

Han also rejects the negative way in which the delayed entry into adulthood has been portrayed. She argued that people in their 20s who have not been able to settle for various reasons should not be thought of as irresponsible or self-indulgent.

"Emerging adulthood should not be considered a negative phenomenon, but a stage of a person's development brought about by the changes of society," said Han. "It should be viewed objectively. From a psychological point of view, we should provide appropriate psychological education to these emerging adults to keep them from developing any psychological problems when they officially enter adulthood."

Duan also argued for a more subjective definition of adulthood that moves away from the criteria of "marriage and childbirth," towards a criteria based upon "a person's ability to make their own decisions and be responsible for their actions."

Such a criteria would judge people like 23-year-old translator Gao much more kindly. Although Gao doesn't know what she wants at the moment, this doesn't mean she is not thinking about her future.

"I probably will buy a home and get married when I turn 30," said Gao. "But a lot of people in their mid-30s still haven't settled down to a stable job or marriage, so I'm in no hurry at all!"