Quarterlife
The Search for Self in Early Adulthood
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- €7.99
Publisher Description
'I wish I had this guide when I was in my 20s and 30s but even now, it offers me a nuanced perspective on how I am built, how I operate in the world' Avni Doshi, author of Burnt Sugar
Why do I feel lost? What's wrong with me? Is this all there is?
Satya Doyle Byock hears these questions regularly in her psychotherapy practice, where she works with Quarterlifers - people between the ages of twenty to forty - who are searching for meaning and direction in their lives. She understands their frustration. Some clients have done everything 'right': graduate, get a job, meet a partner - yet they are unfulfilled. Others are still struggling to find their way in the world, and are unclear on what to do next.
Quarterlife offers a compassionate roadmap for finding understanding, happiness, and wholeness in early adulthood. While society is quick to label the struggles of young people as generational traits, Byock sees things differently. She believes these emotions are part of the developmental journey of Quarterlife, a distinct stage that every person goes through, and which has been virtually ignored by psychology and popular culture.
Through the stories of four of her clients, Byock shows us how this search can start with the right questions. Blending personal storytelling with mythology, Jungian psychology with pop culture and literature, Quarterlife pioneers a new way of thinking about adult life, to help us navigate our futures and ourselves.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
The multifaceted complexities of life in our twenties and thirties is nowhere better grasped than in Byock’s nuanced exploration of these crucial years. Her debut tracks these transformative years—some of our most disorienting and unsettling—from their historical depictions in literature to the modern-day stories of four psychotherapy clients. These case studies showcase the individuality of every “quarterlifer” and are explored in a way that resonates with readers, fostering a sense of inclusion and shared experience. By provoking introspection and inspiring change, Byock guides readers as to how to break free from the societal constraints imposed upon them in their teenage years—the linear path which serves only to hamper a true understanding of self. Through educating us on what it means to have stability and meaning, this book serves to accompany us on the journey in finding them.
