Quarter Life Crisis pada Mahasiswa: Kajian Literatur Faktor Protektif dan Risiko
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29313/bcsps.v6i2.24096Keywords:
Quarter Life Crisis, MahasiswaAbstract
Abstract. College students are facing a crucial developmental transition known as emerging adulthood, a phase characterized by intense identity exploration and instability, making them vulnerable to experiencing a quarter-life crisis. Although quarter-life crisis is often described as stressful experience, it does not always lead to psychological suffering. Some individuals are able to navigate it with self-acceptance, while others experience a prolonged crisis that disrupts daily activities. This literature review aims to examine psychological factors that act as protective factors that help individuals navigate quarter-life crisis more adaptively, as well as the risk factors that can exacerbate the experience. Using a literature review approach, literature search was conducted through academic databases using relevant keywords. The results indicate that personal growth initiative, self-compassion, psychological well-being, and social support act as protective factors that increase tolerance for uncertainty, strengthen self-acceptance, and provide the psychological stability necessary to face a quarter-life crisis. Conversely, family pressure, a tendency to do social comparison, and intolerance of uncertainty were found to exacerbate the crisis by increasing feelings of inferiority and avoiding challenges necessary for personal growth. These findings suggest that quarter-life crisis is not a uniform experience but rather the result of interactions between protective and risk factors.
Abstrak. Mahasiswa tengah menghadapi transisi perkembangan penting yang dikenal dengan istilah emerging adulthood yaitu fase yang ditandai dengan eksplorasi identitas dan ketidakstabilan tinggi yang membuat mahasiswa rentan mengalami quarter life crisis. Meskipun quarter life crisis seringkali digambarkan sebagai pengalaman yang selalu menekan, fenomena ini tidak selalu berujung pada penderitaan psikologis. Sebagian individu mampu menjalaninya dengan penerimaan diri sementara sebagian lainnya mengalami krisis berkepanjangan yang menganggu aktivitas sehari-hari. Kajian literatur ini bertujuan untuk menelaah faktor-faktor psikologis yang berperan sebagai faktor pelindung yang membantu individu menjalani quarter life crisis secara lebih adaptif, serta faktor risiko yang dapat memperparah pengalaman quarter life crisis. Dengan menggunakan pendekatan literature review, Penelusuran literatur dilakukan melalui basis data akademik menggunakan kata kunci yang relevan. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahwa personal growth initiative, self-compassion, psychological well-being, dan dukungan sosial berperan sebagai faktor pelindung yang meningkatkan toleransi terhadap ketidakpastian, memperkuat penerimaan diri, serta memberikan stabilitas psikologis yang diperlukan untuk menghadapi quarter life crisis. Sebaliknya tekanan keluarga, kecenderungan untuk melakukan perbandingan sosial, dan intolerance of uncertainity ditemukan dapat memperburuk krisis dengan meningkatkan perasaan rendah diri dan penghindaran terhadap tantangan yang diperlukan untuk perkembangan diri. Temuan ini menunjukkan bahwa quarter life crisis bukan pengalaman yang seragam melainkan hasil interkasi antar faktor pelindung dan risiko.
References
Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American psychologist, 55(5), 469. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0003-066X.55.5.469
Balqis, A. I., Karmiyati, D., Suryaningrum, C., & Akhtar, H. (2023). Quarter-life crisis: Personal growth initiative as a moderator of uncertainty intolerance in psychological distress. Psikohumaniora: Jurnal Penelitian Psikologi, 8(1), 19-34. 10.21580/pjpp.v8i1.13527
Buunk, A. P., & Gibbons, F. X. (2005). Perspective on those who do and those who don't compare with others. Social comparison and social psychology: Understanding cognition, intergroup relations, and culture, 15. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511584329.003
Hamka, I. W., et al. (2022). Dinamika Mengatasi Quarter Life Crisis pada Anggota Komunitas Keagamaan. Sultra Educational Journal, 2(1), 18-27
Haq, A. F., Riyanti, N., Zariana, A., A’yuni, N. Q., Yuniar, A., Lestari, D. A., & Masitoh, D. (2024). Pengaruh Perbandingan Sosial Terhadap Daya Juang Mahasiswa Dalam Meraih Prestasi Akademik. Motiva: Jurnal Psikologi, 7(1), 73-81. https://doi.org/10.31293/mv.v7i1.7839
Karpika, I. P., & Segel, N. W. W. (2021). Quarter Life Crisis terhadap mahasiswa studi kasus di Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan Universitas PGRI Mahadewa Indonesia. Widyadari, 22(2), 513 527. 10.5281/zenodo.5550458
Krokosz, E. (2023). The Role Of Crises In Human Development. Journal of Security & Sustainability Issues, 13(1). 10.47459/jssi.2023.13.22
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer publishing company.
Malik, A., & Rafiq, S. (2022). Investigating the relationship between social support and coping self-efficacy with consideration of future consequences during the quarter-life crisis. Journal of Management Practices, Humanities and Social Sciences, 6(5), 34-44. https://doi.org/10.33152/jmphss-6.5.4
Merdika, N., Hartanti, J., & Listyowati, A. (2025). The influence of self-compassion and psychological well-being in quarter-life crisis among students. GUIDENA: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan, Psikologi, Bimbingan dan Konseling, 15(1), 61-73.
Murphy, M. (2011) Emotional responses to these were varied, including both positive and negative emotions as participants reflected on their current life and future. Departement of Social Science, Dublin Institute of Technology
Nash, R. J., & Murray, M. C. (2010). Helping college students find purpose: The campus guide to meaning-making. John Wiley & Sons.
Neff, K. D. (2003). The Development and Validation of a Scale to Measure Self Compassion. Self and Identity, 2(3), 223–250. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298860309027
Nita, D. E., & Marsha, G. C. (2025). Pengaruh Intolerance of Uncertainty terhadap Quarter Life Crisis The Impact Intolerance of Uncertainty on Quarter Life Crisis. Arus Jurnal Psikologi dan Pendidikan, 4(3), 142-152. http://jurnal.ardenjya.com/index.php/ajpp
Rahimah, R., Fitriah, A., & Safitri, F. D. (2022). Psychological well being and the tendency of quarter life crisis. Healthy-Mu Journal, 6(2), 117-126. https://journal.mbunivpress.or.id/index.php/healthy/article/view/488
Rochim, D. F. (2025). Pengaruh Hope dan Social Comparison terhadap Quarter-life Crisis pada Dewasa Awal . https://doi.org/10.22219/cognicia.v13i1.39858
Robbins, A., & Wilner, A. (2001). Quarterlife crisis: The unique challenges of life in your twenties. Penguin.
Robinson, O. C. (2015). Emerging adulthood, early adulthood and quarter-life crisis: updating Erikson for the twenty-first century. In. R. Zukauskiene (Ed.) Emerging adulthood in a European context (pp. 17-30). New York: Routledge.
Robinson, O. C. (2019). A longitudinal mixed-methods case study of quarter-life crisis during the post-university transition: Locked-out and locked-in forms in combination. Emerging Adulthood, 7, 167 179. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696818764144
Robinson, O. C., Cimporescu, M., & Thompson, T. (2020). Wellbeing, Developmental Crisis and Residential Status in the Year After Graduating from Higher Education: A 12-Month Longitudinal Study. Journal of Adult Development, 28(2), 138–148. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804 020 09361 1?urlappend=%3Futm_source%3Dresearchgate.net%26utm_medium%3Darticle
Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of Pyschological Well Being. Journal of personality and social psychology, 57(6), 1069. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0022-3514.57.6.1069
Ryff, C. D., & Keyes, C. L. M. (1995). The structure of Psychological Well-Being revisited. Journal of personality and social psychology, 69(4), 719. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0022-3514.69.4.719
Widyastuti, D. P., & Dewi, F. I. R. (2025, July). The Role of Social Support on Quarter Life Crisis in Thesis Preparation Students with Anxiety as a Mediator. In Proceedings of the Tarumanagara International Conference on the Applications of Social Sciences and Humanities (TICASH 2024) (p. 322). Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-446-4_35