In popular psychology, a quarter-life crisis is an existential crisis involving anxiety and sorrow over the direction and quality of one's life which is most commonly experienced in a period ranging from a person's early twenties up to their mid-thirties, although it can begin as early as eighteen. It is defined by clinical psychologist Alex Fowke as "a period of insecurity, doubt and disappointment surrounding your career, relationships and financial situation".
While the quarter-life crisis is not an official clinical diagnosis and does not appear in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR), it is increasingly recognized by mental health professionals and researchers as a genuine developmental challenge faced by young adults in contemporary society. The phenomenon has become a subject of academic research, with studies examining its prevalence through social media analysis and its relationship to modern factors such as student debt, competitive job markets, social comparison through social media, and the postponement of traditional adult milestones like marriage and home ownership.