Are you experiencing a quarter life crisis?

Over the past few decades, research has revealed a new phenomenon among young people, specifically between the ages of 18-25. Many people between these ages believe they have passed the stage of adolescence but have not yet reached the stage of adulthood. Therefore this novel developmental period has been defined as emerging adulthood.One of the reasons emerging adulthood seems to have become present is due to changing times. This may be due to an increasing demand for specialised employment, with the amount of young people acquiring further education after high school rising from 14% in 1940 to over 60% by the mid 1990s. People at present also tend to marry later, delaying the process of moving out of home and having children. This means that many emerging adults still rely on parental support and are deprived of a full sense of independence. The main features of emerging adults that seemed to remain consistent were that of:Identity exploration: Deciding who they are and what they want out of work, school, love and life.Instability: Marked by constant changes in ones internal and external world.Self-focus: Deciding what one wants to do, where to go and who to form relationships withFeeling in between: Taking some form of responsibility and autonomy however not yet feeling like an adult.Possibilities: Fantasising/pondering over what life could be.One study found that almost two thirds of students fell under the category of emerging adults. It was also found that the most important criteria associated with reaching adulthood were intangible. “Accepting responsibility for ones actions” and “independently deciding on beliefs and values” were perceived as a superior indication of achieving adulthood in comparison to role transitions such as career and marriage.Identity-formation and self-discovery is a crucial aspect of the transition to adulthood. It was suggested by psychologist James Marcia, that exploration, followed by commitment is necessary in reaching an identity or ‘ideological achievement’. Identity achievement is a fundamental attribute to a person’s perception that adulthood has been reached. Contrariwise, when an individual experiences neither exploration nor commitment, instead drifting meaninglessly through ‘adulthood’ with a lack of goals or character, ideological diffusion is said to be present. This is associated with low levels of self-esteem and identity.A study measuring the association between identity status and self-monitoring behaviour indicated that ideologically ‘identity achieved’ individuals had lower self-monitoring scores than ‘ideologically diffused’ students. This indicates that ideologically achieved students have committed to a particular identity and present themselves consistently in different contexts. Conversely, ideologically diffused students did not likely have a consolidated identity and used their surroundings to monitor their behaviours.Emerging adults also generally reported negative feelings associated with tasks relating to this period. These undesirable feelings of vulnerability and uncertainty that arise from the blur between adolescence and adulthood have been referred to as a ‘quarter life crisis’. Additionally, research suggests that  higher levels of depression and risk-taking behaviours in perceived emerging adults are reported compared to those in perceived adults.So it seems that while many can attest to the reality of a midlife crisis the new era has brought upon a new phenomenon known as the quarter life crisis! Have you experienced… or are you experiencing a quarter life crisis? Let us know in the comments!