The Quarter-Life Crisis, as defined by Wikipedia :
"The quarter-life crisis is a term, coined circa November 1998 in
Toronto, applied to the period of life immediately following the
major changes of adolescence, usually ranging from the ages of
17-23. The term is named by analogy with mid-life
crisis."
Emotional aspects
Characteristics of this crisis are:
-confusion of identity
-insecurity regarding the near future
-insecurity regarding present accomplishments
-re-evaluation of close interpersonal relationships
-disappointment with one's job
-nostalgia for college life
-tendency to hold stronger opinions
-boredom with social interactions
-financially-rooted stress
-loneliness
These emotions and insecurities are not uncommon at this age, nor
at any age in adult life. In the context of the quarter-life
crisis, however, they occur shortly after a young person, usually
an educated professional, in this context, enters the "real world".
After the initial excitement of adult life and its responsibilities
wears off, some individuals find themselves in a world of career
stagnation and extreme insecurity.
As the emotional ups-and-downs of adolesence and college life
subside, many in the quarter-life crisis experience a "graying" of
emotion. While emotional interactions may be intense in a high
school or college environment, where everyone is roughly the same
age and hormones are highly active, these interactions become
subtler and more private in adult life.
Furthermore, a contributing factor to this crisis may be the
difficulty in adapting to a workplace environment. In college,
professors' expectations are clearly given and students receive
frequent feedback on their performance in their courses. By
contrast, in a workplace environment, a person may be, for some
time, completely unaware of a boss's displeasure with his
performance, or of his colleagues' dislike for his personality.
Office politics require interpersonal skills that are largely
unnecessary for success in an educational setting. Emerging adults
eventually learn these social skills, but this process, sometimes
compared to learning another language, is often highly
stressful.
For more, click here :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarter-life_crisis
