(Community Matters) I’m unfamiliar with the concept of the quarter life crisis but have been discussing this with young friends. I didn’t realize this was a phrase already in the vernacular of ego psychologists. Erik Erikson ties it to intimacy vs isolation in adult development.
Some I’ve spoken with tie it to our “rock star economy,” college debt and the Great Recession.
They say we’re living in this social & instant media world where the outliers are featured so ubiquitously we don’t even see them as outliers any longer. Of course there have always been outliers but that in today’s world, especially for people your age, it’s way too easy to compare each other against the outliers.
College debt – I’ve never even thought of this. When Steven and I left college, most people didn’t have substantial amounts of college debt. Heck, my semesters were $400 for tuition and fees and football tickets and parking. Of course there’s a lot more focus and drive re: money when people are coming out with $50k, $75k, even $100k in debt.
And the great recession. 2008 – so many graduated with the floor pulled out from under them. Expectations had been high until Oct. The availability of jobs didn’t recover until 2011, 2012, in some fields never with the salaries imagined when students decided on majors.
Hmmm, lots to consider in the psychological exploration of the quarter life crisis phenomenon.
(hope I return to write about our trip to Panama and the incredible area Casco Antigua where we stayed and played. And, Esperanza Social Venture Club – a group helping turn around the life of gang members. Mind blowing. Exploring more and likely to become an important project we support.)
Community Matters 