Hi everyone and welcome back to another episode of the savvy psychologist. I'm

Dr. Ellen Hendrickson and every week I'll help you meet life's challenges with evidence-based research, a

sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.

So it is graduation time, which means it is the perfect time to talk about the quarter life crisis.

And of course you don't need to have a degree to experience a quarter life crisis.

All you need are 20-something candles on your most recent birthday cake.

And particularly your early 20s

are nothing if not perplexing.

Because society sends you confusing messages.

You're trusted to choose a president and kick back with a cocktail, but apparently you can't

handle renting a car.

But it is not just those hovering at the threshold of Grownup land who experience soul searching, anxiety, and feeling like you're being left behind.

This week, whether you're 22, 42, or 72, will cover five tips for any time you find yourself lost in transition.

But first let's look at why early adulthood is so difficult.

So according to the renowned developmental psychologist Eric Ericsson

whose 1950s theory of psychosocial development is still used today

emerging adults find themselves at the confluence of two major life stages.

And each of Erikson stages are named as if they were wrestling match-ups.

So one stage, a head-to- head named identity versus confusion,

encompasses the teen years.

And at this age, a sense of identity develops.

So who you are, where you come from,

...