The Defining Decade
"Goals have been called the building blocks of adult personality, and it is worth considering that who you will be in your thirties and beyond is being built out of goals you are setting for yourself today."
— Meg Jay, The Defining Decade (2012)
Introduction
| The Defining Decade | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Full title | The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter—And How to Make the Most of Them Now |
| Author | Meg Jay |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Twentysomethings; Adulthood; Career development; Relationships; Personal development |
| Genre | Nonfiction; Self-help |
| Publisher | Twelve |
Publication date | 17 April 2012 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover, paperback); e-book; audiobook |
| Pages | 241 |
| ISBN | 978-0-446-56176-1 |
| Website | twelvebooks.com |
The Defining Decade is a nonfiction book by clinical psychologist Meg Jay arguing that the twenties are a formative decade for work, love, identity, and health, blending research with case studies from therapy and teaching.[1] The book was first published in the United States by Twelve on 17 April 2012.[2] Library catalogues record the first-edition collation as xxvii, 241 pages and list the hardcover ISBN 978-0-446-56176-1.[3] A revised trade paperback with new material was issued on 16 March 2021.[1]
Chapter summary
This outline follows the Twelve first-edition hardcover (2012), ISBN 978-0-446-56176-1; chapter titles per the first-edition table of contents.[3][4]
✍️ 1 – Preface: the defining decade.
⏳ 2 – Introduction: real time.
I – Work
🎓 3 – Identity capital.
🕸️ 4 – Weak ties.
💡 5 – The unthought known.
📱 6 – My life should look better on facebook.
🧩 7 – The customized self.
II – Love
🗣️ 8 – An upmarket conversation.
🧑🤝🧑 9 – Picking your family.
🏠 10 – The cohabitation effect.
⚖️ 11 – On dating down.
😊 12 – Being in like.
III – The brain and the body
🔭 13 – Forward thinking.
🧘 14 – Calm yourself.
🪟 15 – Outside in.
🤝 16 – Getting along and getting ahead.
🧍 17 – Every body.
🧮 18 – Do the math.
🔮 19 – Epilogue: will things work out for me?.
Related content & more
YouTube videos
CapSach articles
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "The Defining Decade". Hachette Book Group. Twelve. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ "The Defining Decade". OverDrive. Los Angeles Public Library. 17 April 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "The defining decade : why your twenties matter and how to make the most of them now". WorldCat. OCLC. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ "Table of Contents: The defining decade". Schlow Centre Region Library. Retrieved 8 November 2025.