How the Ethical Experience Defines Adulthood: A Sociological Analysis

This paper presents a qualitative research on young Montrealers’ transition to adult life. We draw on Derrida's critical theory of ethics to demonstrate how the experience of responsibility characterizes interpersonal relationships in adulthood. Responsibility is defined as a willingness to respond to others, which young people learn through interpersonal relationships and key events in their life course. Based on an analysis of their life stories, the paper argues that young adults need to answer for themselves – affirming their values and identity – in order to be able to respond to others.