{"id":120903,"date":"2020-11-05T11:00:59","date_gmt":"2020-11-05T11:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=120903"},"modified":"2023-03-02T16:12:08","modified_gmt":"2023-03-02T16:12:08","slug":"peter-pan-syndrome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/peter-pan-syndrome.htm","title":{"rendered":"Peter Pan Syndrome – Is It Always a Bad Thing?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By: Jennie Park mydisneyadventures<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

by Andrea M. Darcy<\/span><\/p>\n

Feel like everyone wants you to be something you aren’t? Been told you need to ‘grow up’, or that you have ‘Peter Pan syndrome’?<\/p>\n

What is Peter Pan syndrome?<\/h3>\n

No, it is not a real psychological diagnosis. But it\u2019s a helpful<\/strong> catch phrase to refer to other mental health<\/a> issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Peter Pan syndrome refers to a refusal to engage in the set of goals<\/a>, achievements, and responsibilities that usually mark the transition from young person to adult. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Originally a term used to label men seen as<\/strong> delinquent and troubled, it has grown to be quite different in meaning, applying to any gender. It means that you don\u2019t want to grow up, not that you are likely to have antisocial personality disorder<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

But isn’t being youthful a positive?\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Sometimes, yes.<\/p>\n

And always being ‘adult’ because we think we ‘should’ could be challenged as<\/strong> being no better than always being ‘childish’. If we refuse to engage in things that bring us joy for fear of being seen as ‘immature’, we can detach from or sense of wonder, becoming numb or even depressed<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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And just because you don’t fit the norm and aren’t like your peers doesn’t mean there is something wrong with you. Some people simply do not have a personality or values that match the zeitgeist of their culture. They are freethinking or creative<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

If you are actually making a career out of your novel way of thinking,<\/strong> are stable financially<\/a> and mentally, and have good relationships<\/a>, then you are just unique. Peter Pan syndrome refers to being childish in a way that holds you back and leaves you unstable.<\/p>\n

Symptoms of Peter Pan syndrome<\/span><\/h3>\n

A 22-point scale created to ‘test’ Peter Pan syndrome<\/a> found the most popular symptoms to be what it calls\u00a0 \u201cescape from responsibility\u201d, \u201cpower perception,\u201d and \u201cnever growing child\u201d.<\/p>\n

In real life, this translates to symptoms like:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n