Irene Lee

Beyond the Fantasy of Adulthood

Thesis

“Growing up, I often wondered about the territory of adulthood. According to the adults around me and how often they avoided answering difficult questions behind the line, “you’ll get it once you become older,” adulthood sounded very distinct from childhood. As a 23-year-old living a liminal phase of my life between childhood and adulthood, I find emerging adulthood a freeing yet anxious experience. With the goal of exploring and possibly revising our understandings of adulthood in modern society, my thesis began with secondary research on the theme of the transition from childhood to adulthood. Following it, I conducted 13 interviews among my peers as a form of primary research with intimate personal stories. The genuine stories engage with the topic of age, gender, cultural, social, political, emotional, and practical aspects of the emerging adulthood stage in life. As a visualization of the growth process and individual lives, a spiral form diagram is used as an interactive piece.”