"Something about the recognition of that leads people to want to grasp at something, to feel more alive-and sometimes make changes in their life," psychiatrist Anna Yusim, M.D., previously told mindbodygreen.įor any visual learners out there, there's a textbook example of an existential crisis at play in Season 2 of The Good Place, as one of the show's main characters is thrown for a loop when he realizes there's a possibility he could die.
Plus, the older we get, the harder it is to ignore our inevitable finitude.
As psychotherapist Annette Nuñez, Ph.D., LMFT, previously told mindbodygreen, "When people reevaluate their lives, it often brings up mixed emotions of anxiety, stress, regret, and sadness."
Regardless of when an existential crisis occurs, though, similar symptoms are to be expected. Lastly, there are "later-life crises," Spinelli says, which involve questions around mortality, illness, legacy, regret, and purpose. Midlife crises happen in middle age and tend to be more about reflecting on past choices and missed opportunities. As Spinelli explains, there is a "sophomore crisis," which is an existential crisis in someone's teenage years as they come into their identity and start thinking about the future.Ī quarter-life crisis, on the other hand, typically happens in early adulthood as a young adult transitions into the working world and adjusts to life on their own. It's also worth noting that there are a few different types of existential crises, which are more or less common depending on how old you are. Essentially, anything that abruptly shifts your perception or your existence may incite an existential crisis, according to Spinelli. "People in an existential crisis may look fine on the outside, but in actuality, they can have a debilitating amount of existential dread and fear on the inside," Spinelli explains.Ī number of things can trigger an existential crisis, from a random realization about the nature of reality to more jarring events like a medical diagnosis, war, losing a loved one, or a traumatic experience. Of course, this isn't exactly an easy process, and making your way through an existential crisis can involve feelings of dread, anxiety, and in some cases, depressive symptoms like hopelessness. In fact, she says, it can serve as a positive force that encourages you to dig deeper, make changes, and find more meaning in your life. An existential crisis, simply put, encompasses overwhelming feelings of dread, anxiety, confusion, and dissatisfaction around the deeper questions of life (i.e., who you are, what happens after we die, the general meaning of life, etc.).Īccording to 2016 research published by the American Psychological Association 1, existential crises are defined as "confusing and high-anxiety times when a person is trying to resolve and find the answer to this question: Who am I?" The research notes the concept was first introduced by renowned psychologist Erik Erikson in the 1970s, who referred to it as an identity crisis-though the idea of the " dark night of the soul" has been around for centuries.Īs licensed psychotherapist Babita Spinelli, L.P., tells mindbodygreen, virtually everyone will have an existential crisis of some kind at one point or another, but it doesn't have to be totally negative.
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