The Psychology of The Man-Child (Puer Aeternus)

The term puer aeternus is Latin for eternal boy. Carl Jung used the term  in the exploration of the psychology of eternal youth and creative  child within every person.   

It is an archetype, and like all archetypes, has both a positive and a  negative side. It can bring the energy, beauty and creativity of  childhood into adult life, or thwart self-realisation and doom us to  both unrealistic adolescent fantasies and experiencing life as a prison.    

The puer is the man-child who refuses to grow up, take responsibility,  and face life’s challenges, he expects other people, typically his  parents, to solve all his problems. He tries to go as high as possible  away from reality, ending up like Peter Pan, the boy who wouldn’t grow  up, who lives in Neverland, a place where people cease to age and are  eternally young. The puer aeternus is also known as the Peter Pan syndrome. This has become an increasingly common problem in our modern age.  

Those who find themselves unable to commit to work, to form satisfactory  relationships, to commit to the discipline of education, to carry the  weight of responsibility, or who feel that their life has become  meaningless, will find the integration of the archetype of eternal youth  invaluable in their life.