摘要: The effects of social change on the transition to adulthood are manifest in large-scale societal and institutional changes, alterations relationships networks, shifts individual psychological orientations behaviors. This essay reviews key foundational work that has established framework for our understanding adulthood, highlighting Mannheim Elder's theoretical contributions early empirical studies age norms, status attainment, timing sequencing adult role markers. It then describes major ongoing programs research movement from school work, pathways transition, familial financial residential support transitioning children, both roles character traits as sources identity. Finally, view trends, it calls future inequality its implications diverging destinies youth depend their class origin, race, gender; bases age-related other identities; consequences media transitional dynamics; patterns young health, cross-national comparative studies, responses climate change. Keywords: social change; transition adulthood; school-to-work transition; age norms; adult identity; generation; career establishment; family formation