The psychological experience of disillusionment in young adults: An empirical phenomenological analysis

Daniels, C. C. (2001). The psychological experience of disillusionment in young adults: An empirical phenomenological analysis. (Doctoral dissertation, Pacifica Graduate Institute, 2001). UMI no. 3035184

There has been much discussion in the past decade concerning young adults and their alleged nihilism, naiveté, and cynicism. One central theme that emanates from descriptions of this current generation, controversially discussed as Generation X, is that they are disillusioned. Given disillusionment's ubiquitous nature as a descriptor of an entire generation, it emerges as a phenomenon worthy of scientific research. Research on the experience of disillusionment has previously been undertaken by exploring it in particular circumstances or with a middle-age demographic. The current research stems out of the request by previous researchers for more descriptive studies on disillusionment in early stages of adulthood. To pursue this study, an empirical phenomenological methodology was utilized. Results of this research are discussed in terms of the general structure of being disillusioned and the particular hermeneutic shifts that occur as one moves through the transformative process of becoming, being, and resolving disillusionment. To be disillusioned means to undergo a loss of idealism that was based on untested, naïve assumptions. Being disillusioned is to enter a liminal space in which not only particular idealism but meaning in general is questioned. Resolution of disillusionment is the movement to a realization that all beliefs are beliefs rather than truths, and that one must participate more fully in one's own meaning making. One may become stuck in pre-resolution and may experience, for example, denial or cynicism. The broader implications of this research include offering a model of hermeneutic shifts that a person may experience in disillusionment or perhaps any transformative process. It also provides insight into the importance of young adulthood as a formative phase that should be taken seriously by clinicians and young adults themselves. The study suggests that further research would be useful to see how people, over time, move through the 12 stages of the disillusioning experience. Further research on the existential struggles of young adults would be beneficial.