Envision a world where adulthood was an optional state of mind; where responsibility was a nagging notion of the past; where we could all dwell in the blissful realm of Neverlands we’ve mentally erected as refuge from the pressures of society. In actuality, a profuse amount of individuals have encapsulated themselves in this state of interminable adolescence—a medical condition known in pop culture as the Peter Pan Syndrome. Formally dubbed as Puer Aeternus, this condition is attributed to young adults and adults alike who haven’t fully matured--both mentally and emotionally--out of their adolescent state, and still possess a maternal attachment to their care givers. In what is hopefully the first of many posts to come, I will be discussing this Peter Pan Syndrome that is afflicting a substantial chunk of individuals in this day and age. Though society pressures and forces these individuals to be weaned off the nipples of life, the question that peaks my interest is what are the social, economic, and political factors that contribute to this condition? In other words, I want to know how are we, as a society, responsible for these individuals’ inability to cope with growing up, and, if possible, by pinpointing the source of this disorder, can we prevent future cases of this from occurring?
Oct 11, 2009
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Very interesting topic! This topic reminds me of Katherine's RA essay about how adolescence should be abolished because it's hindering people's ability to grow up and mature quickly. I wonder what constitutes adulthood? Or in other words, what does it mean to be an adult? What type of lifestyle do people with peter pan syndrome live? In society, people who live in their past, youthful days are looked down upon as immature, lazy, or not successful.Why is maturity idolized and admired? Maybe you can look into how other countries deal with peter pan syndrome and see how the respective countries view maturity and adolescence. Looks like you have a lot of information to work with. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI like how this topic is similar to the quarter-life crisis, though it approaches it more from a psychological, or even medical standpoint (as a syndrome, fro example). I'm curious what you're able to dig up on the topic. I recently came across an article called "Mourning a Lost Childhood: The Problem of Peter Pan," in a book called "The Problem of Loss and Mourning: Psychoanalytic Perspectives." That might be an interesting place to start your search. Looking at what and who the author cites, as well as the kind of keywords and subject headings associated with the article, might take you to some better contemporary sources as well (the book I'm citing is from 1989). Good luck!
ReplyDeleteWow. I hadn't thought this was real! It definitely sounds exciting.
ReplyDeleteI can definitely imagine it here in America, though it's hard for me to say exactly why. I can see it in pop culture (Michael Jackson?) and it definitely has its link to the quarter-life crisis. I'm wondering how seriously the academic/medical world takes this condition. Is it an actual psychological disorder, or is it the individual's self-desire to stay young forever? Though Michael Jackson had his Neverland, he definitely made his way through the music industry with great and mature success.
I'm definitely excited to hear more about your topic Alyssa!