Failure to launch or Peter Pan Syndrome has become a growing occurrence of early adults who are not growing up and transitioning into adulthood.

More and more, younger adults are living at home with their parents today than ever before. They are not taking on responsibilities of an adult such as homeownership, renting a place of their own, and being unemployed or under-employed.

They often fail to contribute financially, have unrealistic goals, and blame the world for their circumstances. They have little incentive to change, and their transition into adulthood is on hold.

While failure to launch hits both sexes, the truth is the most significant number of Peter Pan Syndrome is men. Up 25% from 2014, over seven million men ages 25-54 in America were not employed or looking for employment.  

What are the causes of failure to launch

There are several reasons this happens. Some of those are:

Those are just a few of the causes or reasons for this phenomenon.

As far as symptoms, here are a few:

  • Lack of motivation to change lifestyle
  • Not looking for work
  • Blaming others for their circumstances

Therapy for failure to launch

Therapy usually only happens when the person is in danger of losing a partner or no longer being supported by their parents.

The people who are supporting the failure to launch must set clear boundaries. They often do not see their symptoms as a problem, especially to those on whom they depend. The parents who use their retirement funds to continue support for physical needs or the partner who takes on all the household responsibilities often feel overwhelmed.

Family counseling and couples counseling can help the whole family understand the dynamics of what is going on. Individual therapy can help the person understand their unwillingness or inability to grow up.

449 Recovery has family, couples, and individual counseling for failure to launch syndrome. Call us to schedule an appointment, 855.435.7449