Quarterlife
The Search for Self in Early Adulthood
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4.2 • 5 Ratings
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
An innovative psychotherapist tackles the overlooked stage of Quarterlife—the years between adolescence and midlife—and provides a “fascinating” guide “on how to navigate and thrive—rather than just survive—these odd years” (PureWow).
“Quarterlife is an insightful, revealing look at the messy and uncharted paths to wholeness, and a powerful tool for anyone navigating early adulthood.”—Tembi Locke, New York Times bestselling author of From Scratch
I’m stuck. What’s wrong with me? Is this all there is? Satya Doyle Byock hears these refrains regularly in her psychotherapy practice where she works with “Quarterlifers,” individuals between the ages of (roughly) sixteen to thirty-six. She understands their frustration. Some clients have done everything “right”: graduate, get a job, meet a partner. Yet they are unfulfilled and unclear on what to do next. Byock calls these Quarterlifers “Stability Types.” Others are uninterested in this prescribed path, but feel unmoored. She refers to them as “Meaning Types.”
While society is quick to label the emotions and behavior of this age group as generational traits, Byock sees things differently. She believes these struggles are part of the developmental journey of Quarterlife, a distinct stage that every person goes through and which has been virtually ignored by popular culture and psychology.
In Quarterlife, Byock utilizes personal storytelling, mythology, Jungian psychology, pop culture, literature, and client case studies to provide guideposts for this period of life. Readers will be able to find themselves on the spectrum between Stability and Meaning Types, and engage with Byock’s four pillars of Quarterlife development:
• Separate: Gain independence from the relationships and expectations that no longer serve you
• Listen: Pay close attention to your own wants and needs
• Build: Create, cultivate, and construct tools and practices for the life you want
• Integrate: Take what you’ve learned and manifest something new
Quarterlife is a defining work that offers a compassionate roadmap toward finding understanding, happiness, and wholeness in adulthood.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Psychotherapist Byock's perceptive debut offers young adults guidance on how "to find and create one's own life and purpose in a complex and deeply fraught world." Defining "Quarterlife" as "the first part of adulthood," from ages 16 to 36, Byock explores this phase by examining cultural depictions of it and dissecting four case studies informed by Byock's therapy practice. The author studies how the protagonist of the Grimm brothers' story "The Three Languages" struggles to find his place in the world and, like many Quarterlifers, follows the trajectory of the "Hero's Journey," undergoing transformation through experience. The author posits that there are two types of Quarterlifers: "Meaning Types" who snub the responsibility and routine of adulthood but struggle to find financial security, and "Stability Types" who are "comforted by their ability to conform to social norms" but often neglect their "buried desires and needs." The key is to balance the two tendencies, which Byock illustrates with an in-depth case study of Conner, a Stability Type composite character of the author's clients who develops an identity independent of his parents' expectations after a series of heart-to-hearts with them. The detailed case studies provide useful illustration for Byock's ideas, though her contention that there is "no checklist for surviving and thriving in Quarterlife" means there's not much practical advice. Still, young adults will appreciate Byock's compassionate articulation of Quarterlife's challenges.
