On Quarter-Life Crisis

"When I had journey half of our life's way, I found myself within a shadowed forest, for I had lost the path that does not stray." Dante

A mid-life crisis is an emotional state of doubt and anxiety in which a person becomes uncomfortable with the realization that life is halfway over. It commonly involves reflection on what the individual has done with his or her life up to that point, often with feelings that not enough was accomplished. The individuals experiencing such may feel boredom with their lives, jobs, or their partners, and may feel a strong desire to make changes in these areas. The condition is also called the beginning of individuation a process of self-actualization that continues on to death.

Often characterized by the following:

1. confusion of identity
2. insecurity regarding the near future
3. insecurity regarding present accomplishments
4. re-evaluation of close interpersonal relationships
5. disappointment with one's job
6. nostalgia for college life
7. tendency to hold stronger opinions
8. boredom with social interactions
9. financially-rooted stress
10. loneliness

A central issue in the lives of young adults is the anxiety and anticipation of a "mid-life transition" as they enter middle adulthood.

Arguably, this ‘transition’ is for many a ‘crisis’ since its means undergoing a time of struggle and a feeling of being struck down by life.

The period of middle-age is the time when adults take new responsibilities & therefore often feel a need "reappraise previous life structures with an eye to making revisions while there is still time."

For some, it represents a time of rebellion & turmoil caused by the stresses of life.

The term of "mid-life crisis" was originally coined by Jaques (1965) who claimed that people encounter a crisis as they realize their own mortality and a change in time frame from "time since birth" to "time left to live."





The Quarter-Life Crisis ~~ Author Unknown


It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are a lot of things about yourself that you didn't know and may or may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.

You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you do not realize is that they are realizing that too and are not really cold or catty or mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.

You look at your job. It is not even close to what you thought you would be doing or maybe you are looking for one and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and are scared.
You miss the comforts of college, of groups, of socializing with the same people on a constant basis. But then you realize that maybe they weren't so great after all.

You are beginning to understand yourself and what you want and do not want. Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging a bit more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and add things to your list of what is acceptable and what is not. You are insecure and then secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you or you lay in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough to get to know better. You love someone but maybe love someone else too and cannot figure out why you are doing this because you are not a bad person.

One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap and getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision.

You worry about loans and money and the future and making a life for yourself and while wining the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!

What you may not realize is that everyone reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out.


And now, I'm bout to ask...have been to mid-life reappraisal lately?