Coddled Kids or Emerging Adults?

Young people in the U.S. are going to school longer, getting married later and facing more options and questions when they head into the job market. Many are finding safe havens with their parents, or their parent's cash while they're riding out their twenties.

The trend is pushing the age of what looks like full adulthood, with all its obligations and commitments, farther and farther from the teen years. It's a phase that psychologists are now calling "emerging adulthood."

Hear a discussion about the phenomenon of emerging adulthood, the social factors that have led to it and what it means for those experiencing it.

Guests:

Jeffrey Arnett, research associate professor in the Department of Human Development at the University of Maryland

Linda Perlman Gordon, co-author of "Mom, Can I Move Back in With You?: A Survival Guide for Parents of Twentysomethings"

Cathy Stocker, co-author of the forthcoming book "The Quarterlifer's Companion."