Those adults who behave like children and who refuse to accept the responsibilities that come with adulthood can suffer from what is called Peter Pan syndrome. This syndrome is more frequently observed in men who have remained stuck in their childhood stage. and who have a deep fear of maturing personally, growing up and accepting all the roles that they are assigned due to their age. In addition to this, it has been observed that in the majority of cases people with Peter Pan syndrome show a great emotional deficit and a significant amount of insecurity and low self-esteem, which leads them to have serious difficulties in developing personally and relating to people of their own. its environment. Although this condition can be the result of a combination of factors, it has been pointed out that it generally has its origin in the childhood of the affected person, either due to having had a very happy childhood that, subsequently, tends to idealize or due to the On the contrary, for having lived a childhood totally lacking in stable affection.
In this PsychologyFor article, we are going to explain in detail what are the personality characteristics of these people and what are the guidelines to follow to be ableovercome Peter Pan syndrome.
He Peter Pan syndrome refers to the Child behavior that some adult people they continue to have, which despite their age, they do not know or do not want to assume and accept the responsibilities of their actions and adult life. They continue acting as if they were children, they refuse to play an adult role and they are characterized by having great emotional immaturity, significant insecurity and a strong fear of not being accepted or loved by other people. This severe fear of rejection leads them to take refuge behind an eternal youth or childhood, which makes them feel more comfortable and able to cope with their daily lives without having to complicate things too much or think excessively.
The term “Peter Pan syndrome” was coined by the American psychologist Daniel Kiley in the 80s, who observed in many of his patients this resistance to growing up and assuming the demands expected in adult life, such as being a father, developing professionally, having responsibilities, having stability, etc.
This syndrome is very more common in men that in women and despite the fact that these people can give the impression that they are very happy and that they enjoy life under the motto Carpe DiemThe truth is that deep down they are insecure people, who need protection from others, dependent and with significant feelings of loneliness and dissatisfaction. All of this hinders their personal development and entails certain complications when it comes to establishing social relationships and interacting with the environment.
Symptoms and characteristics of Peter Pan syndrome
Next, we show what the characteristics of adults with Peter Pan syndrome in order to make an accurate diagnosis and, subsequently, look for the appropriate solutions:
Irresponsibility and impulsiveness: They have childish behavior, they do not think before acting nor do they take responsibility for their actions. On the contrary, they expect others to assume these responsibilities and also tend to blame others if something has not turned out as expected.
Immaturity: They are incapable of assuming maturity and the responsibilities that come with adulthood. They tend to idealize the youth stage and deny that they are adults despite their age.
Insecurity and low self-esteem: Although they may give the impression of being confident or arrogant people, they have great self-doubt and low self-esteem. It is very difficult for them to open themselves emotionally to others due to the fear of not receiving the expected affection or affection.
They have no future projection: They think short-term, live in the moment and enjoy ephemeral pleasures without worrying about tomorrow.
They have a personality narcissistic and selfish: In addition to wanting to have the attention of the people around them, they only think about themselves and focus solely on their problems, completely disregarding the problems of others.
They feel dissatisfied with what they have and what surrounds them, but they do nothing to change their current situation. They want to get everything they want without having to invest a lot of effort into it.
Low tolerance for frustration: They do not accept criticism or opinions that we like well. They want their wishes to be fulfilled immediately and if they do not get it, they usually have an angry reaction similar to that of a child’s tantrum.
Have fear of being alone and, on many occasions, they experience sadness, anxiety, depression or feelings of guilt.
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They hide from reality through lies and excuses that allows them to hide their inability to mature and grow.
They idealize the stage of youth.
How to overcome Peter Pan syndrome
To overcome Peter Pan syndrome, first of all, it is very important that the person who suffers from it recognize that you suffer from this problem of maturity and who, not being able to manage it on his own, needs professional help to assume his daily responsibilities and start living as an adult.
The best option to treat Peter Pan syndrome is to go to psychological therapy in order to identify the origin and cause of this resistance to growth. From there, the treatment to be followed can be established, since as we have mentioned previously, behind this syndrome certain emotional deficiencies are hidden that must be resolved.
He psychological treatment for help overcome Peter Pan syndrome usually covers the following:
The objective should be to allow the affected person to assume their daily responsibilities, manage their emotions, increase their self-esteem and tolerance for frustration.
Help them learn to manage their thoughts and prevent them from believing themselves to be victims or from feeling bad about themselves and others.
Provide you with the necessary tools to detect the advantages of adulthood over those of childhood, which is a bygone era. In this way, you will be able to develop positive thinking about your maturity and adulthood and it will be less difficult for you to assume responsibilities. Ideas can be emphasized such as the economic and personal freedom that we have in adulthood, the power to choose and make our own decisions, the fact of being able to decide who we want to associate with and who we do not want, etc.
Try to not only worry about your problems, but also be aware of the concerns and problems of the people around you.
Boost your self-esteem and give you the necessary guidelines so that you can increase your self-confidence.
Eliminate from your thinking the idea that maturing means losing that “childish” part that we all have inside of us. The important thing is to make you understand that each of us must achieve a balance between the two dimensions of our personality.
Help you feel capable of taking charge of your life and having the initiative to achieve the things you want with effort and improvement.
Make a list in which you indicate everything you want to achieve in your life, starting with short and achievable goals to progress progressively.
This article is merely informative, at PsychologyFor we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to How to overcome Peter Pan syndrome we recommend that you enter our Clinical Psychology category.
