What is Peter Pan syndrome?
Peter Pan is the main character in a British fairy tale, an eternal boy who freely wanders his dreams and fantasies in Neverland. It's because in Neverland, you can remain a child forever without becoming an adult. In modern society, more and more people want to remain children forever, and the psychological state of these people is called Peter Pan syndrome. In other words, it refers to a psychological state in which they escape from reality even as adults and want to rely on others without acknowledging themselves as adults.
American clinical psychologist Dan Kiley (1983) named it Peter Pan Syndrome Peter Pan Syndrome, reflecting the increasing social phenomenon of "children" who are adults but cannot join the adult world. People with Peter Pan syndrome are less responsible, and although their ideals are high, they are more likely to fall into a state of inability to take responsibility for themselves because they are weak in their ability to practice and make decisions.
The cause of Peter Pan syndrome
There are various causes of Peter Pan syndrome. According to Dan Miley, the onset of Peter Pan syndrome is deeply linked to the expansion of the U.S. passport and the economic downturn of the late 1970s. As the social and political power of men weakened and the number of men who were dependent on women increased, this phenomenon was named Peter Pan Syndrome.
However, it is now used to explain the appearance of people who are excessively dependent on others regardless of gender. In Korea and Japan, as it becomes difficult to get a job even as an adult, there has been a phenomenon of financial dependence on parents, such as delaying independence and marriage, which is also a type of Peter Pan syndrome.
It is said that the reason why Peter Pan syndrome has increased recently is because it has benefited from material abundance and is expected to be much from people around it, but it has not grown enough inside to endure it. So you tend to avoid the situation of responsibility itself. This avoidance tendency is likely to occur when you are overprotected by your parents in childhood or when you form a relationship in anxiety.
What is Neverland Syndrome?
Neverland Syndrome is a term referring to adults who refuse to get older and want to keep young, like Peter Pan, who suggested Wendy play with him like a child for the rest of her life in Neverland. For example, invest time and money in appearance to avoid looking like an adult, or develop other hobbies to socialize with young people instead of playing "adult" golf. In addition, phenomena such as sensitively examining and following trends and trends can be explained by Neverland Syndrome.
Cause of Neverland Syndrome
An increase in life expectancy
The human lifespan is much longer than before due to the invention of medical technology, improved eating habits, and various scientific technologies that provide convenience. This also means a change in the life cycle. For example, we get a job at a later age than before, and we get married at a later age. They retire at a later age, and they are more active in changing jobs than before.
That's why you become an adult later than before, and as you live as an adult for a longer time, you are more active in change and adaptation, but in terms of the times, it is more likely that you do not seem to conform to the process of becoming an adult compared to the previous generation.
Socio-cultural trends
Today's society, in general, is a great virtue for its ability to look younger than it is, to have a youthful sense, and to communicate with the generations below. That's why you have to be younger than your age in order to be active as a member of society and to fulfill your role as a member of the workplace.
The difference between Peter Pan syndrome and Neverland syndrome
The biggest difference between the two is the activity. In the case of Peter Pan syndrome, rather than actively giving up on becoming an adult, one's own employment is difficult, and parents' working life tends to become dynamically difficult due to prolonged economic structural changes. On the other hand, Neverland Syndrome has a large aspect of independent adults actively refusing to be traditional adults due to changes in social and cultural structures!
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