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The Quarter-Life Crisis Slowing Down is Key

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 Asia-Pacific E-Journal of Health Social Science https://sites.google.com/site/asiapacificejournalofhss/.
December 2013. Volume 2, Number 2. All rights reserved. ISSN 2244-0240
Journey
The Quarter-Life Crisis: Slowing Down is Key
Patrick David S. Cenon
Marketing Management Department, De La Salle University, Manila, the Philippines, patrick.cenon@dlsu.edu.ph
Levinson (1982), in his book “The Seasons of a Man’s Life”,
identifies three major phases in adulthood. First, the novice phase
of early adulthood, which involves early adult transition (moving
from pre- to early adulthood at age 17-22); first adult life structure
(entering the adult world at age 22-28); and age-30 transition
(changing the first life structure at age 28–33); second, the settling-
down phase that highlights the culmination of early adulthood or the
second adult life structure at age 33-40; and third, the mid-life
transition (moving from early to middle adulthood at age 40-45) and
middle-adulthood phase (building a new life structure at age 45–50).
I would say that the effects of the quarter-life crisis are likely to
be felt when a person is between 22 and 33 years old. This crisis
covers two stages, first adult life structure (involving one’s entry into
the adult world) and age-30 transition (revolving around the
modification of one’s first adult life structure). The notion of the
quarter-life crisis is well supported by various authors; for example,
Meneses (2009) and Alford (2013) have described quarter-life crisis
as a common phenomenon among young people aged 24-30 years,
who are seeking to find their purpose in life, and thus, are moving
around in circles rather than staying on a single-focused path. Very
recently, I had turned 30, and just like any other young person, I am
now going through my quarter-life crisis. In this narrative, I would
like to share my experiences on this particular phenomenon.
Foremost, I had taken time to reflect on my milestones during
my first adult life structure (at age 22-28 years). I can say that I am
quite pleased with what I have achieved. I got my dream job, in my
dream company based in Manila, the Philippines. I was fortunate
enough to have been selected as part of a team for the start-up
operations of my company’s Asia-Pacific regional headquarters in
Thailand. Upon my return in Manila, I was able to finish my master’s
degree and began teaching at a local university while continuing my
corporate employment. During this period, I had two fulfilling
relationships, one with a girlfriend when I was 23 years old and
another one at age 29. I was ably supported by many great
friends—long-standing associations from high school, university and
work—in all my endeavors.
Now, as I am going through age-30 transition, I have begun
adopting a more serious middle- to long-term perspective.
Coming from a successful entry into the adult world, I am now
setting my sights on new goals, dreams and aspirations. For me,
this is where the quarter-life crisis is bearing upon me.
In my experience, the crisis has been more about my inability to
decide on what dreams to pursue and what life to live. I find myself
confused, lost and paralyzed to make decisions regarding the array
of options and opportunities that are present out there in the real
world. From my continuing introspections, I have identified three
causes of my confusion and indecision.
Personal growth and development. I have come to realize that I
have grown up and have developed as a person. Over the years,
without me noticing the appreciable personal change, I have
evolved higher-level skills for work and more mature perspectives
about life. Thus, the social world that I used to see as small and
narrow has widened considerably, including the choices and
opportunities present therein. Expectedly, I have been asking and
facing a plethora of questions in this quarter-life crisis: What career
should I pursue? When would I be ready to marry and settle down,
and with whom? Where would I settle down? How much money do
I need to make to support my family? Am I capable of providing for
my future family?
Social environment: the manic society. I believe that our
environment also plays an important role in my quarter-life crisis. In
one of my more serious reflections, I have fathomed that I am just
going through my work, studies and teaching—and my life as a
whole—without giving my future much thought. In other words, I am
merely doing things in a highly routine fashion, because I am simply
reacting to what the social environment is giving me rather than
actively seeking those that I really want.
According to Holden (2005), the foregoing predispositions are
the effects of the manic society that continually prescribes for
everyone to move and go faster to achieve success overnight.
Holden (2005: 9) goes further by stating that:
In the manic society, our non-stop speed ethic
can easily blur our vision.
We are living faster and working faster, but
what for?
1
 Asia-Pacific E-Journal of Health Social Science: The Quarter-Life Crisis: Slowing Down is Key
What is the vision? Without vision we can so
easily confuse speed with progress, adrenaline
with purpose, and urgency with importance.
Without vision we may simply be attempting to
win prizes that are not worth winning.
We may be getting there faster, but we may
also be missing what is here and now, within us
and before us.
Technology and information overload. Aside from the lightning
speed and the rapid pace of life imposed by the manic society, we
have too many options to process as a result of the Internet; this,
too, has undoubtedly aggravated my state of confusion and
indecision. After my successful entry into the adult world, I do
strongly feel the tremendous pressure to make the right decisions in
career and in life. I am also worried that a wrong decision may
cause me to miss valuable opportunities in both areas. The speed
and pace of the manic society, combined with the numerous
choices brought about by the Internet, have helped create a
situation that discourages thorough understanding and evaluation of
each potential choice. This combination increases the risk of
making poor choices, which becomes the source of my fear and
then leads to my confusion, paralysis and indecision in this quarter-
life crisis.
I have begun to find ways to resolve this personal crisis. First, I
have slowed down and allocated more time for personal silence,
prayer, and reflection. My departure from my corporate job has
given me more time to strengthen this 3-pronged strategy, which I
learned from my one-year stay in a seminary. I was about 17-years
old at that time when I was taught about various introspection
techniques that can be used for making life-changing decisions.
Having the said strategy has allowed me to reflect on my past
events and to process prevailing events especially the critical ones
(e.g., work). In a way, it has given me a rare opportunity to retreat
and detach myself from the manic society; to see the social
environment reflexively from a distance; and in the process, it has
enabled me to locate myself better in the social landscape. The
long periods of introspection and soul searching have enabled me
to recognize that there is a need for me to re-establish myself in the
context of new challenges and greater responsibilities present in the
settling-down phase. I have resolved that I should treat the crisis as
an opportunity to improve myself, a suggestion that is akin to that
given by Alford (2013).
Now, I appear to have a clearer idea of what I would like to do
in life. I am making plans to explore several opportunities and
preparing myself to take concrete steps to pursue them. I started
listing down several career options in various industries and
evaluating their respective advantages and disadvantages while
taking into consideration my strengths, weaknesses and interests,
and their impact on my relationship with my current girlfriend whom
I met a few months ago. There is no guarantee that I am making the
right life-changing decisions. But I believe that slowing down and
taking time to clarify my priorities and aspirations in life are the right
steps towards the right direction.
The quarter-life crisis is a normal occurrence in life. Those
undergoing this crisis may be advised, amidst the dictates of the
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manic society, to courageously temper the pace of their lives (e.g.,
to walk in the garden and smell the flowers, so to speak) in order to
gain more time and opportunity to clarify their life goals and
priorities. Hopefully, this strategy will help lessen their confusion
and indecision, translate to a deeper understanding of oneself, and
lead to more meaningful life choices in the midst of the many
options present in today’s world. By slowing down, young people
like me can turn the quarter-life crisis into a quarter-life opportunity.
REFERENCES
Alford, C. (2013). Quarter life crisis or quarter life opportunity?
Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/catherine-
alford/quarter-life-crisis-or-qu_b_3746669.html.
Holden, R. (2005). Success intelligence. London: Hodder Mobius.
Levinson, D.J. (1979). The seasons of a man’s life. New York:
Ballantine Books.
Meneses, M.B. (2009). Floundering at 25. Manila: Milflores
Publishing.
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