Rise Of The Quarter-life Crisis Generation Lost

Unaffordable housing, an uncertain job arket, social anxiety – all before the cost of vocado on toast. Alley Pascoe investigates he unique pressures facing millennials

- Alley Pascoe

On Instagram, Natalie’s life looks perfect: sun-kissed selfies, a #CoupleGoals boyfriend and a recent trip to Tokyo. You wouldn’t know from her megawatt smile on social media, but the 24-year-old’s hair has been falling out from stress, she’s started breaking out with acne on her chin and has almost completely lost her appetite. Eager to find employment after graduating university with a law degree and a $100,000 HECS debt, she moved from Sydney to Canberra – away from her family, friends, and boyfriend – for a job in the public service that didn’t even enable her to practice law. “I was frustrated and disappointed that I had a law degree that I wasn’t even using. I didn’t feel satisfied or motivated. I lost my sense of purpose and direction,” reflects Natalie, who would burst into tears every time someone asked her if she was OK. She wasn’t OK. She was having a quarter-life crisis.

The term entered the vernacular in 2001 when authors Alexandra Robbins and Abby Wilner released their book Quarterlife Crisis, which associates the next-gen breakdown with feelings of helplessness, panic, indecision, and apprehension. British clinical psychologist Dr. Alex Fowke defines it as “a period of insecurity, doubt, and disappointment surrounding your career, relationships and financial situation”.