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Farther up the age scale—despite all the changes in the economy—being 35 today bears more than a passing resemblance to being 35 a generation ago. Adults’ lives are still framed by careers, marriage, children, and civic ties.

But I want to suggest that being 25 today is very different. Today’s young adults are much less likely to have committed themselves to a mate or to a career. Unlike my generation, only a tiny fraction experience military service. Many go back and forth between episodic education and temporary jobs and between independent living and their parents’ homes. Most young people in their 20s are living outside of institutions and, therefore, without the structure and norms that institutions provide. Many feel that they are living without a script and are making up their lives as they go. And despite the birth dates on their driver’s licenses, many of them are not sure that they are adults at all. [Download]