The Rising Problem of Peter Pan Syndrome
By Austin Price, Editor in Chief
Growing up is hard. There’s no other way to say it. Being an adult is hard. There’s no other way to say it. However, despite these hardships, growing up is an imperative part of life. Growing up does not have to mean having no fun or always working hard. But it does mean increased responsibility and both physical and mental maturity. As a young adult myself, I still love to have fun. I love to watch Disney movies and dance to Taylor Swift music. But I also make my car payments on time and have a credit card. Being an adult is a balancing act of meeting societal expectations and allowing yourself to enjoy life. While there’s nothing wrong with having a little fun, there is a rising number of young adults who choose to shirk their adult responsibilities entirely, labeling them as sufferers of Peter Pan Syndrome.
By Austin Price, Editor in Chief
Growing up is hard. There’s no other way to say it. Being an adult is hard. There’s no other way to say it. However, despite these hardships, growing up is an imperative part of life. Growing up does not have to mean having no fun or always working hard. But it does mean increased responsibility and both physical and mental maturity. As a young adult myself, I still love to have fun. I love to watch Disney movies and dance to Taylor Swift music. But I also make my car payments on time and have a credit card. Being an adult is a balancing act of meeting societal expectations and allowing yourself to enjoy life. While there’s nothing wrong with having a little fun, there is a rising number of young adults who choose to shirk their adult responsibilities entirely, labeling them as sufferers of Peter Pan Syndrome.
Peter Pan Syndrome is a pop psychology term used to describe an adult who is socially immature. It refers to “never-growing” adults who have reached an adult age but cannot face their adult sensations and responsibilities. The name is a metaphor, based on the concept of not growing up and being trapped in childhood like the Disney character himself, Peter Pan. The name was coined by Dr. Dan Kiley in his 1983 book, The Peter Pan Syndrome: Men Who Have Never Grown Up. A year later in 1984, he published The Wendy Dilemma, outlining the difficulties of young females in relationships with “Peter Pans.”
It’s important to note that Peter Pan Syndrome is not an official diagnosis. According to Medical News Today, “Peter Pan Syndrome is not a formal diagnosis and does not have recognition by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, text revision (DSM5-TR). Rather, it is an informal term that some psychologists use,”.
Those with Peter Pan Syndrome have difficulty “growing up” and cannot cope with the increased responsibilities and pressures of adulthood. They may find it hard to manage typical adult responsibilities, such as keeping a job and maintaining healthy relationships.
Dr. Dan Kiley believes that designated “Peter Pans” are narcissistic and demonstrate selfish behaviors. He says “People with Peter Pan Syndrome refuse to accept responsibility; they tend to blame others for problems. They also have difficulty expressing their emotions, which contributes to their issue with maintaining relationships,”. Another word for this type of person is “man-child”.
The main detractors and struggles of Peter Pan Syndrome come from emotional growth and personal connections with others. In his 1997 book, Men Who Never Grow Up, Kiley listed seven key markers of Peter Pan Syndrome. They are emotional paralysis, slowness, social challenges, avoidance of responsibility, female relationships, male relationships, and sexual relationships.
Peter Pan Syndrome is caused by helicopter parents and overly sensitive reactions to basic life struggles. Symptoms appear in children around the ages of 11 to 12 and continue to grow as their child is spoon-fed throughout their teenage years, an imperative time to undertake larger levels of maturity.
Peter Pan Syndrome can be debilitating to young men as they enter the throes of adulthood, but it can also severely impair their relationships with romantic partners. In Dr. Dan Kiley’s book, The Wendy Dilemma, he addresses the struggles female companions experience when their male counterpart is suffering from Peter Pan Syndrome. The book’s premise hinges on the fact that “Wendy” is the supporting partner behind a Peter Pan. Peter Pans are disinterested in adulting and may believe others should take care of adult responsibilities such as decision making, bill paying, meal preparation, and more. This leaves the Wendy in the relationship to pick up the slack.
Kiley believes that those in the Peter Pan role may not realize the responsibilities they ignore and the role they play, leading to miscommunication in relationships which can cause strife, resentment, and even be the catalyst for breaking up or separating. Patrick Cheatham, a psychologist in Portland Oregon says that “In relationships, I think this shows up most clearly in divergent levels of ambition, expectations, life goals, and ability to make commitments,”.
In simple words, those with Peter Pan Syndrome who don’t have a close relationship with their parents or a romantic partner to function as a Wendy, may have a hard time getting through life. Regarding Peter Pan Syndrome and the impact, it has, according to Healthline, “Their dishes might pile up in the sink. They might avoid doing laundry until they have nothing clean to wear. You might find yourself regularly helping with chores just to get their home a little more habitable,”.
Not only does Peter Pan Syndrome impact romantic relationships and household chores, but it can also impair career goals and work ethic. This can then lead to financial issues and interpersonal strife due to financial frustration.
Because Peter Pan Syndrome is not an actual diagnosis, there is no actual cure. However, the best way to improve life and increase the ambition of someone with Peter Pan Syndrome is through communication. This communication does not have to lessen expectations or reduce desires that one partner has from another. Rather, it is to make sure that both partners understand the general standard of their relationship in terms of effort and attention. Patrick Cheatham says, “Trying to change your partner’s level of commitment or ambition will only frustrate you both. It’s about setting a tone of adulthood and seeing how they respect and respond to that,”. This can be done through ending enabling behaviors and changing reactions to miscommunications.
Being an adult is hard. But as we get older, being an adult is imperative. While I still believe adults can and should have fun, I also believe that we need a little more Wendys and a little less Peter Pans in this world.
Atomic Alumna: Farnaz Alimehri
By Isabella Willhite, Staff Writer
“Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of the worlds.”
This verse from the Bhagavad Gita were the words that Robert J. Oppenheimer uttered when watching the detonation of the atomic bomb that he created, in July of 1945.
By Isabella Willhite, Staff Writer
“Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of the worlds.”
This verse from the Bhagavad Gita were the words that Robert J. Oppenheimer uttered when watching the detonation of the atomic bomb that he created, in July of 1945.
There has been lots of talk about Oppenheimer after Christopher Nolan’s hit movie. Oppenheimer tells the story of the scientific advancement of the atomic bomb with motifs on allegiance, politics, and morality. It has been the highest-grossing R-movie of the year, and it is also becoming the highest-grossing WWII movie of all time.
The movie provides important context for the Atomic Age that our world entered after the development of the bomb. Today, five countries are officially recognized as possessing nuclear weapons by the Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), which seeks to inhibit the spread of nuclear weapons. These countries are the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China and Russia.
North Korea joined the NPT but withdrew in 2003. Pakistan, India, and Israel never joined the NPT but are assumed to possess nuclear weapons.
Over 50 countries utilize nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is incredibly efficient; a nuclear reactor typically produces one gigawatt of energy, which would require two coal plants, or three to four renewable plants. Since 1990, nuclear energy has supplied 20% of America’s power. Nuclear energy has been increasingly leveraged in developing countries for this effectiveness, low costs, and little waste.
Photo provided by Farnaz Alimehri.
Working in the space of ensuring nuclear nonproliferation is Regis alumna Farnaz Alimehri. Farnaz graduated from Regis with a BA in Politics, driven by her interests of understanding why people in power make the decisions that they do. Her favorite classes were those with Dr. Schmidt - they were so engaging that she forgot the time went by. She also enjoyed her RCC classes as they laid the foundation for her to engage with different perspectives, even those that she did not agree with. Whether it be in the space of nuclear safeguards, or just day to day life, Farnaz emphasizes the need for multiple perspectives. At Regis, Farnaz perfected her French and Spanish. She also speaks Farsi and English.
During her time at Regis, Farnaz met her best friend, Catalina Nicole Hooser, who tragically passed away. Farnaz worked closely with Dr. Nicki Gonzalez to help set-up a Scholarship in Catalina’s name to support first-generation students and students with financial barriers to attend college. To read more about the Catalina Nicole Hooser Scholarship for Dreamers, click here.
Farnaz said that if she could go back in time and give herself advice while at Regis, she would say that it is okay to not be perfect, and that it is important to not try to appease others. Even though it can be hard to recognize, you shouldn’t be a version of yourself that never existed in the first place.
After finishing at Regis, Farnaz was accepted to Georgetown’s Masters of Arts program in Security Studies. As an Iranian-American, Farnaz traveled to Iran frequently growing up. Her mom was a teenager during the Iran-Iraq war, and her community was greatly impacted by Iraq's use of chemical weapons. These experiences brought her to a concentration in unconventional weapons and nonproliferation.
At Georgetown, Farnaz worked for the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS). CNS is one of the largest nongovernmental organizations in the world that is focusing on curbing the spread of weapons of mass destruction. At the time of her Master’s, Farnaz was even more drawn to these questions as Iran and the P5+1 countries began negotiations around the Joint Plan of Action (JPOA). The JPOA sought to halt Iranian nuclear development efforts in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.
Following her time at Georgetown, Farnaz moved to Vienna as a Training Officer for the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA). Reporting to the United Nations Security Council, the IAEA is known as the world’s center for nuclear cooperation. The IAEA assits member states in maintaining peaceful uses for nuclear technologies, developing nuclear safety standards, and verifying states are upholding their nonproliferation and arms agreements.
At the IAEA, Farnaz trained representatives from various nation states to become nuclear safeguards, inspectors, and analysts. She was “blessed for her personal and professional connections,” and learned from colleagues that had inspected Iranian and North Korean facilities. Reflecting on her time at the IAEA, Farnaz feels privileged for her connections, and for the opportunity to visit so many nuclear facilities. While based in Vienna, Farnaz also helped provide aid to Ukrainian refugees at the time of Russia’s invasion. You can read about her efforts here.
Prior to her three years with the IAEA, Farnaz worked for Argonne National Laboratories in Lamont, Illinois. There, her work focused on export controls for dual-use items, or items that have both military and civilian uses.
Farnaz is currently working with the Sandia National Laboratories, which was founded out of the original Manhattan Project. There, Farnaz has continued her work in nonproliferation as a senior member of the technical staff with Sandia’s Center for Global Security and Cooperation. She is also the Middle East and African lead for the Cooperative Monitoring Center (CMC) at Sandia. Established for almost 30 years, the CMC is using emerging technology as a site for building cooperative engagements and strengthening international security. Farnaz is currently continuing her education with a Masters of Science in Nuclear Science and Technology from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.
One of the most interesting aspects of her work is tracing how state and non-state actors acquire and or build nuclear materials and technology, despite sanctions and export controls. Farnaz trained and worked with officers who seized the Chong Chon Gang ship - a vessel that was smuggling weapons components from Cuba to North Korea. Farnaz’s work is incredibly important, and incredibly tangible.
While visiting Regis in September, Farnaz discussed several important themes that have been emerging specifically in the Middle Eastern nuclear landscape. These themes included Saudi Arabia’s rescinding of its nuclear small quantities protocol to their comprehensive safeguards agreement and Iran’s enrichment processes. In Iran specifically, protests and the aging of the Supreme Leader posit important questions about the political future of the country and the future of their nuclear program. However, as she emphasizes, it remains important to distinguish the country and people of Iran from the government of Iran.
Farnaz is driven by the sacrifices her parents made when she and her family moved to the United States, giving up their community in Iran for her and her brother. Farnaz plans to continue making peaceful nuclear energy and technology accessible, and ensuring that these nuclear materials are not used for nefarious purposes.
Photo provided by Farnaz Alimehri.
Farnaz Alimehri is a published author. See some of her works below:
The Fourth Annual Science Sunday
By : Hazel Alvarez, Staff Reporter
Thirty minutes into the event and already the halls of Pomponio Science Center buzzed with activities. Almost all of the classroom were utilized and filled with students and their families.
This is the fourth year of Science Sunday at Regis University, where children to teens from the surrounding communities gather to see demonstrations of science concepts ranging from fingerprints and time to electric currents and their conductors.
Thanks to social media platforms done by Marketing and Communications and the success of previous years, this event brought about more than 600 people this year.
More than 100 students from various science classes, clubs, and groups volunteered to help run the event. Regis students from neuroscience, astronomy, physics, biology, and chemistry occupy the booths with their colorful displays attracting the eyes. There’s something for everyone, and without realizing it, you were learning beyond the usual classroom setting.
Dr. Hart, an Assistant Professor of Astronomy, was the lead organizer of Science Sunday. She’s a blur as she speeds through the hallway, checking on Regis students and smiling at the visiting kids. Inspired by a friend in charge of the astronomy night at the White House, Dr. Hart made it as an event here in Regis for her astronomy class in 2016. Instead of a final project, the students can conduct demonstrations where they can interact with the public.
“The feedback that I got from the students was so great, I thought, ‘why don’t I do this next year, but not just with astronomy,” Dr. Hart said.
Besides the astronomy lab, the Chemistry Club, TriBeta Honors Society, Physics Department, Neuroscience Department, and Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers now help make Science Sunday an impactful force that it is today. “And that’s how Science Sunday was born,” smiles Dr. Hart.
Regardless of what science departments the booths represent, the responses that the children and teens displays range from excited expressions to shy smiles. If the child or teen display a shy demeanor, the students who occupy the booths would simply invite them over, and with what started out as hesitation, ended with round eyes and little smiles as they grasp the concept in hand.
“I really love sharing science to people, specifically to astronomy,” comments Dr. Hart. “I think being able to share it in a fun way is very important. Once visitors [families and their children] realize that science is for everybody – not just science people or math people – once they realize that it’s for everybody, then I’ve done my job.”
The children and teens weren’t the only ones who were responsive; the families with them were just as equally interested in interacting with the student demonstrators and volunteers.
One father stumble walking in a line, while wearing goggles that distorts the senses of the cerebellum, which rule balance and coordination, simulating what it would be like to be drunk. The son hardly stumbles walking in a straight line, despite wearing the goggles. “He’s way better at this than me. A little concerning, if you ask me,” he laughs.
Down the hall, a mother and daughter don on latex gloves in order to touch a human brain, donated to Regis University. Respectfully, they both held the brain. “[The brain] doesn’t look heavy, but it is,” comments the mother. She trades a smile with her daughter as she hands over the brain, and her child gasps at both the weight and the cold of the brain.
“Ask a Scientist,” said Dr. Winterrowd, an Associate Professor of Psychology, helped occupy the booth, remarking that “it’s difficult to ask questions on the fly, but the kids managed it.” Kids asked topics that ranged from planets to dinosaurs, and thanks to the little brain picture underneath Dr. Winterrowd’s nametag and the brain model nearby, kids asked about the brain, too.
“Their questions were very creative,” Dr. Winterrowd continues. “One question a child asked was ‘where do the stars go during the day?’ And I just explained that the stars are there, the sun just outshines them all. I would help direct them to where they could go, like if they were interested in astronomy, I would direct them to the telescope outside. One kid asked about what does the brain feel like, and I would just say that it’s soft and heavy, and would help point them to the basement, where we had the human brain. It was great to see these kids invested at the topics in hand.”
Jivan Smith-Shively, who demonstrated the booth on behalf of his astronomy lab, remarked, “I enjoyed the [event], quite a lot; I have always liked teaching children about science, so it’s great to see the look of awe on their faces as they do the experiment.”
The booth demonstration shows the concept of space and time, with a metal ball representing the sun weighing down on top of a black fabric, which represents space and time. The marbles represent the planets, and as each one rolled, circles around the metal ball.
As each child and family member roll marble balls, Jivan and Joseph McCullough explain that this demonstrates the gravitational pull of planets (the marbles) around the sun (the metal ball). “Being able to answer questions to help them get more invested is always fun.”
At the main entrance of the Science Center, the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE) helped with the visitor’s booth, where they pass out STEM passports designed by one of their own, Tina La. Once they filled their passports, they can come back to the booth and get their goody bags.
Tina’s sister, Melissa La, who also helped with the booth, remarked at the end, “It was such a great event! I especially love seeing all the kids smile and enjoying time with their parents!”.
Both Melissa and Tina greeted multitudes of families and their kids, explaining what the passports were, how they can get the prizes, and passing out either the goody bags or maps of the demonstrators.
“I really couldn’t have done this without the students and faculty who volunteered. Without them, this wouldn’t be able to have happen. Without the different groups helping out and contributing to Science Sunday, this wouldn’t be able to happen,” remarks Dr. Hart. “The public really likes the fact that they see the students getting excited and they see their kids getting excited, and this interaction is really important to me.”
“The meat and potatoes of what makes Science Sunday successful is that every Regis student being able to show how they love science in their own way. Whether it’s the chemistry club, the astronomy or neuroscience students. Really, at the end of the day, it’s the students that makes this event really successful,” Dr. Hart explains, smiling fondly.
Man, medicine, and sleep in space
By: Andrianna Veatch, Staff Reporter
The medical issues facing mankind in space are fascinating, particularly since in science fiction, any and all medicine tends to be handwaved by crazy-advanced technology or magic cures rather than explored and addressed.
(Photo: Getty Images)
By: Andrianna Veatch, Staff Reporter
Science Fiction is one of the largest, most popular genres of all time. With President Trump wanting to re-open the space program with the intention of getting America back to the moon and to Mars, the space adventures we love may finally have a shot at becoming reality. The chief difficulty with living in space, however, is that the human body is not designed to live there, at all. The medical issues facing mankind in space are fascinating, particularly since in science fiction, any and all medicine tends to be handwaved by crazy-advanced technology or magic cures rather than explored and addressed.
The human body is optimized to survive in earth’s conditions: 21% oxygen atmosphere, an average temperature of 22 oC, and 1g gravitational force. In space, or even on lower density celestial bodies like the moon, bone density will decrease, becoming fragile and brittle; muscles become atrophied. Within minutes of entering microgravity, fluids that normally collect in the lower body are no longer being affected by a gravitational pull, and instead flow to the upper body, causing neck veins to distend, and the enlargement of organs such as the liver and pancreas. 60% of astronauts suffer from long-term far-sightedness. This all sounds very grim, and overcoming these physical obstacles is no small hurdle, but rigorous exercise, the correct diet, and medications can partly alleviate some of the worse effects, and currently, none of these issues are estimated to prevent a successful and relatively healthy flight to and from Mars.
In science fiction, a common method of avoiding long travel times between planets, or to get around physical degeneration as described above, is to employ suspended animation or cryofreezing. So far, cells from corneas, bone, and skin, as well as sperm samples and oocytes (immature egg cells) have been successfully frozen in liquid nitrogen, but science is nowhere near preserving human organs or full bodies yet. However, there is a theory that human cells could be preserved through “vitrification,” a process that, theoretically, cools the water in cells so that they do not actually freeze, but become “glass”—that is, a liquid that is far too cold to flow or freeze. This allows the metabolism and cellular motion to cease, and structures like the nuclei will stay in their correct anatomical location. While vitrification itself should cause no injury to cells, there is great danger of damage during thawing due to the rather controversial glass transition temperature for water.
Hopefully, America is looking to the stars once again, and while the trip will be physically challenging, there is the hope of actuality now. True science is always uncovering new methods, new truths, to help us reach those stars.