1 / 4 Life Crisis
By RYAN NANTON Programme : Bachelor of Arts in Journalism OPINION
Erickson ’ s Stages , elements of Crisis and Virtue :
1 . Infancy : Basic Trust vs . Mistrust . VIrtue of hope . 2 . Toddler stage Autonomy vs . shame and doubt . Virtue of will . 3 . Childhood : Intiative vs . Guilt . Virtue of Purpose . 4 . Early Adolescence : Industry vs Inferiority . Virtue of competence . 5 . Late Adolescence : Individual Identity Confusion . Virtue of fidelity . 6 . Early Adulthood : Intimacy vs . Isolation . Virtue of love . 7 . Middle Adulthood : Generativity vs . Stagnation . Virtue of caring .
8 . LAte Adulthood vs Old Age : Ego Integrity vs . Despair . Virtue of wisdom .
No one likes to admit it , but feeling like an utter failure is sometimes our common reality . This failure or the fear is the driving factor in what makes many people call it quits . What compounds the situation is when this feeling of uncertainty intensifies and brews into a constant , troubling state . When this occurs for young adults , it is known as a phenomenon called the ‘ Quarter-Life Crisis ’ or QLC .
The QLR was coined by Abby Wilner in 1997 after she graduated from college , moved back home and could not figure out what to do with her life . Wilner later became the co-author of Quarterlife Crisis , published in 2001 , and The Quarterlifer ’ s Companion : How to Get on the Right Career Path , Control Your Finances , and FInd the Support Network You Need to Thrive , published in 2005 .
What is it ?
The QLR , simply put , is a phase young people who range from their late teens to their early thirties goes through that is characterised by ambiguity about which direction our lives are headed .
Essentially , we are confronted by insecurities such as having attainable goals , financial independence , friends and relationships , living arrangements and the question : “ What ’ s the point of this entire struggle ?” And , if you ’ re anything like me , you feel lost , anxious , and petrified of the unknown . But you ’ re not alone . And , there are plenty of ways to make riding it out little easier . At least this is according to developmental psychological , Erik Erickson , who asserts that being aware of particular life stages can prepare and equip you to face this avoidable crisis . Erickson examined life through a psychological framework . He theorised that people developed psychosocially through eight different stages . Each stage is signified by a conflict between two opposing phenomena .
Once the struggle is resolved , a person acquires a particular virtue . If a person does not fully resolve the conflict within a stage , that virtue becomes an ongoing issue that persists throughout subsequent stages or until it gets resolved . Using Erickson ’ s model , the QLR can be seen as reviewing the developmental task of late adolescence . The task of securing one ’ s identity was not sufficiently accomplished during adolescence ; therefore , the young adult continues to struggle with identity issues .
Take into consideration your current experience here at COSTAATT or your previous exposure to education at your secondary school . How much time was taken by your educators or advisors in treating with your insatiable desire to answer the questions , “ What does it mean to be an adult , how do I transition smoothly from teenage me to young adult me , or how do I strike the balance ?” Adolescents are rushed to grow up and pushed into the next stage without a foundation of what it means to be an “ adult ”. Distinctive in the late adolescence stage is the psychosocial moratorium . Erickson described it as :
This time of your life is a period of transition , and you need to keep yourself grounded . You can ’ t fix everything instantly , so be patient and set realistic goals you know you can achieve . Kill the fantastical hopes . You ’ re a student , not a multimillionaire . So don ’ t have unattainable goals and far-fetched financial expectations for yourself . Once you start creating realistic , manageable plans to deal with your biggest stressors , you ’ ll have a much easier time keeping yourself out of the same type of crisis in the future . The transition into adulthood might suck , but I know we ’ d definitely be worse off if it never came .
Caiman Vybe | Volume 1 , No . 1 | December 9 , 2017 . 14