'Failure to Launch' Demystified

Have you ever heard about the concept of "Failure to Launch" and wondered what it means?

In the realm of adult psychology, the term "Failure to Launch" refers to the phenomenon where young abled adults struggle to transition into independent living. You may have learned of other names for failure to launch, such as Hikikomori, delayed adulthood, prolonged adolescence, Peter Pan syndrome, or non-emerging adulthood. All terms point to a similar situation.

In failure to launch physically and mentally abled adults do not work, do not attend school, and live with - and at the expense of – their parents. Failure to Launch outcomes can be severe, as these Individuals show symptoms of depression and may even be at risk of self harm. Time spent as Failure to Launch is detrimental to future independence. The burden of FTL is also experienced by family members who have been financially and emotionally supporting the individual with Failure to Launch (i.e., parents).

Research consistently shows that addressing Failure to Launch is most effective when approached as a family team effort. In particular, my research into a new method called SPACE-FTL highlights the critical role of parental involvement in facilitating their adult children's transition into independence. By working closely with parents and equipping them with the right tools and strategies, families can create an environment that encourages growth and autonomy. Surprisingly, this new method does not require the involvement of the adult child and can work in cases the adult child refuse seeing a therapist! My research findings indicate that empowering parents to shift from accommodating behaviors can significantly improve outcomes.

To book a free 30 minutes consultation, please reach out to me at uriberger@lhpsychology.com.

You can also refer to the academic papers I have published.

• Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial of the Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions Intervention for Highly Dependent Adult Children

  
  

• Parent training for dependent, yet abled, young adults

*For a full version of the papers, email me at uriberger@lhpsychology.com. and request a full version.