Extended Adolescence Meets Academic Inflation

I was originally going to post this as two separate topics, but after some musing I've decided that though different, they are related enough that it warrants putting them together.

I was first introduced to the concept of an extended adolescence in one of my psychology courses. I remember my professor commenting about an increasing trend in the newer generations where individuals remain in a prolonged period of adolescence; not physically of course, but in terms of personal development. When one thinks of adolescence, one usually thinks of individuals in their early to late teens; individuals who are still largely dependent on their parents and who have yet to establish an autonomous lifestyle (i.e. moving out, having a full-time job, etc.). However, this period of dependence is increasingly being stretched out into one's early to mid twenties. Many young adults today are living with their parents (myself included), and even those that manage to move out have a higher chance of moving back in than in previous generations. Many people today are also marrying and having children (a cultural sign of adulthood) later in life than their own parents. These and other factors support the view that adolescence, or at least the transition from adolescence to 'full-blown' adulthood, has become a longer process for contemporary generations. However, I believe that the most telling sign that the process has lengthened is that people now remain in the realm of academia longer than ever before; a phenomenon that educationalist Sir Ken Robinson dubs 'academic inflation'.

There are many factors that contribute to academic inflation; some of the more prominent ones include technological growth, population growth, and growth of knowledge. The way I see it, each of these three factors reinforce and encourage the growth of the other two, resulting in a self-perpetuating cycle. New technologies give rise to new ideas and new knowledge, which leads to further technological advancements. These all lead to a more comfortable environment for individuals to live in and to populate while reducing mortality rates. This in turn allows for more minds to discover new knowledge and to improve/invent new technologies. Of course, this is just my own personal, extremely simplified theory, but I think it sounds rather plausible. In any case, I think we can all agree that these three factors contribute greatly to the rise of academic inflation. Graduating from high school used to mark the end of formal education for most, and only the exceptional (and financially well off) went on to receive post-secondary education and diplomas. With each passing generation, more and more people were able to attend colleges, universities, and other post-secondary institutions. Even so, it used to be case that having a bachelor's degree almost guaranteed employment, and having a master's or higher meant you would never be out of a job. But fast forward to present day, and a bachelor's degree no longer holds as much significance as it used to. It has now become necessary, but not necessarily sufficient, for a career. People graduating with a BA is now as commonplace as people graduating from high school in generations past, and today's master's degree is near equivalent to the bachelor's of the past. All this inflation of degrees means that people have to stay in school longer to get the required degree for their desired profession, or just for a better chance at getting the job.

It's not too hard to see why today's youths experience an extended adolescence compared to say, their parents. By remaining in an academic setting for a longer period of time, those extra years serve as an extra buffer or cocoon for the individual against the responsibilities of getting a job, finding their own place of residence, and everything else that comes with being a fully matured, independent adult. Here I must stress that I am in no way trying to criticize this trend, and to be honest I'm still quite on the fence about it, seeing as how I'm living the process myself. I'm merely trying to point out that perhaps it's true that today's youths are less prepared and less certain of themselves than the older generations, not because they're less competent, but because they've been given a few extra years of academic safety from the real world.