Not all puers or puellas exemplify "failure to launch" syndrome.

The puer or puella personality is typically quite creative and soulful.

We need to retain some of our childhood hopes and dreams but also adjust to the demands of adulthood.

As noted in Part 1 of this series of posts, as with almost everything in life, there is both a negative and positive side to the puer or puella. So, what are some of the positive aspects of the puer aeternus and puella aeterna personality type?

Psychotherapy for the Puer and Puella Personality

Because such men and women remain in close touch with their eternal or divine inner child, they have more access to qualities like creativity, playfulness, fantasy, imagination, enjoying the present moment, innocence, spontaneity, youthful energy, etc. Many artists, musicians, actors, writers, filmmakers, etc. are so-called puers or puellas. Some others are reformed puers or puellas, having addressed this syndrome in psychotherapy or Jungian analysis in particular.

Becoming an adult for these individuals never meant giving up on their fondest fantasies, wishes, and desires from childhood. Nor should it mean that for any of us. Yes, Freud's "reality principle" requires that we relinquish some of our more grandiose and narcissistic fantasies and tendencies as we transition from adolescence and embrace adulthood so as to adapt to the social structure, limitations, and restrictions the reality of adult life forces upon us. And our childhood wishes may have to be pared down to reality. But this is a far cry from leaving all our dreams and fantasies of fame, fortune, success, love, creativity, beauty, power, etc. behind us because we still need them. In fact, this can be a big problem for the adolescent approaching adulthood; for if they believe this is what adulthood demands of them, they may angrily rebel, either inwardly or outwardly, against society, becoming cynical, depressed, withdrawn, sullen, and refusing to become part of it. The greatest challenge of adulthood is retaining a close connection with the source of our aspirations, our "inner child," self, soul, or........

© Psychology Today