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 The article series about the younger generation's quarter-life crisis in SvD continues today. Two youth psychologists are interviewed about what is driving young people to hopelessness in the face of potential failure. They offer an interesting perspective to our self-entitled generation: our parents have told us we can do anything we want. Well, wake up. We can’t. Karin Enqvist and Maria Edlund claim that instead of encouraging kids to follow impossible dreams, parents should help kids set more realistic goals. Example:
Common scenario:
Kid: Mom, I want to be a rockstar.
Mom: Great, honey! Here’s a thousand-dollar drum-set that you’ll plague the neighbors with until you lose interest and want to be an independent filmmaker.
Recommended scenario:
Kid: Mom, I want to be a rockstar.
Mom: Well, honey, how about you look into the success rates for aspiring rockstars, and then buy an LSAT prep book.
Have we been raised to be dreamers who crash as soon as the dreams don’t come true? Would we be happier if we were more realistic? Perhaps. If being more realistic entails realizing that even dream-careers need real-world help. Rockstars and football pros would do well with some parental leave too. (see the recent blog by sociologist Mindy Fried on this topic)
- Astri Illustration by Gustaf von Arbin
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