Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Behavioral Health

What Is Failure To Launch?

This post has the following terms set for blog_author: Term “Intent Clinical” does not match any post title in the “people” custom post type.
Intent Clinical, Intent Clinical
Woman with brown hair wearing a grey blazer and red top, smiling at the camera against a plain background, embodies confidence and warmth, qualities essential for those working in a mental health clinic.

We look at modern comedies like “Stepbrothers” and the appropriately named “Failure to Launch,” where the almost middle-aged young man has decided that there’s no reason to move out of his parent’s home and continues to live comfortably under their roof. The star of the movie is portrayed as the dropout, slacker, or the black sheep of the family, but these movies show a genuine struggle for some families.

What is Failure to Launch?

Failure to Launch Syndrome, sometimes known as “Peter Pan Syndrome,” is characterized by a young adult not making the jump into adulthood.  While failure to launch is more common in men than women, the important defining characteristic of this is a lack of motivation for a young person to search for a job, contribute financially, and, ultimately, begin to stay at home and withdraw from the world.

What are the Signs and Symptoms?

A young person is nearing the end of his or her high school career, looking at the future, and instead of making a plan for their life, they gradually become withdrawn.  Maybe they blame their parents for putting too much pressure on them; perhaps they complain about the cost of higher education or the struggles of the job market.  While a temporary hiatus may not be cause for concern, the defining characteristic of this syndrome is continued procrastination or out-right refusal of this person to participate in daily life and develop both short- and long-term goals.

A young person with Failure to Launch Syndrome lacks the inner motivation and faith in themselves that drive people to create a fulfilling life, either financially, academically, or socially. In earlier developmental phases, this same person may experience anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues and can contribute to failure to develop a sense of “self.”

How Can You Help?

It’s hard for a parent or caregiver to stop parenting even when their child is no longer a child. The most important thing to do for a family dealing with a failure to launch situation is changing the focus from seeing this as the sole responsibility of the young adult to change, and focus on how the family system as a whole needs to change.

Start by getting guidance from a professional.  If your loved one is struggling and unwilling to get help themselves, start by giving yourself the best tools you can to help you deal with the situation. This can help you to start a difficult conversation, hold a family meeting, and set expectations for the young adult, and learn how to engage with them compassionately.

Some advice you may get can be difficult because parents often want to do everything they can to help their loved ones.  But sometimes the best thing you can do is stop accommodating.  The longer a parent caters to the need of a child, the longer they are not developing the necessary skills to succeed on their own. Sometimes that may mean watching them fail.

 

If you or a loved one needs help supporting an individual that is struggling with mental health, feeling stuck or unable to reach goals, O’Connor Professional Group is here to help. Call (617) 221-8764 or visit our Contact Us to schedule a consultation and see how we can help.

 

Meet the Author

 

Sydney Breteler is the Intake and Business Development Associate at OPG. In this role, she is primarily focused on responding to inquiries about services and communicating OPG’s capacity to best cater to the needs of individuals and families seeking help and guidance with behavioral health issues. Sydney also works with the marketing and business development teams, lending her eight years of prior administrative and communications-related experience. Sydney earned a B.A. in Psychology from Clark University. She lives in Boston and has a passion for worldwide travel, hiking, skiing, and always has a book in hand when she’s not spending time with family and friends.