The term “quarter-life crisis” is a millennial invention, referring to young adults’ period of anxiety, uncertainty, and self-doubt as they transition into adulthood. Introduced into the zeitgeist by Alexandra Robbins and Abby Wilner in 2001 for their book, Quarterlife Crisis: The Unique Challenges of Life in Your Twenties, the concept was met with mixed reactions at the time, from Katie Couric’s skepticism to Oprah Winfrey’s empathy.
Gen Z knows this feeling all too well. From chronic struggles with burnout to a pragmatic, even skeptical take on how to lead their careers, the generation that entered the workforce during the age of quiet quitting has come to exemplify the quarter-life crisis. But what if this is the new norm, and the midlife crisis is going extinct the way other trappings of the 20th century have, like dial-up internet and Kodak film? What if Gen Z has giant, macroeconomically valid reasons for being plunged into a collective quarter-life crisis?
