As we mature what makes the decade or so from late adolescence through young adulthood particularly important?

Those years are important because those are the years during which we typically are developing the competencies we will need to make a living in a complex society, learning to manage our emotions, moving through autonomy toward interdependence, developing mature interpersonal relationships, establishing our personal identity, developing and refining our sense of purpose, and developing a greater integration of who we are with what we say and do in all circumstances.