Problem
JON AND EMILY'S STORY: SCENARIO
Review the following scenario and respond to the questions below:
Jon and Emily met on an online dating website and have been dating for 3 months; he is 27 and she is 25 years old. Both Jon and Emily had been in long-term relationships during their college years and have been dating, but did not become emotionally involved in any of their relationships. Jon began law school and dropped out when he realized it was not 'for him' and Emily has been temping at a variety of jobs to try to find her passion.
They live in Boulder, Colorado where they both attended the University of Boulder. Emily's family lives in Cincinnati, Ohio and Jon's in Portland, Oregon. Neither Jon nor Emily think about moving back to their hometowns, but they are both experiencing financial stress. Emily's roommates moved out and she can no longer afford her rent; she is stressed and afraid she will be forced to move back home where she knows her parents will be judgmental about her inability to find a career path. Jon is also about to have to make a decision about his living arrangement, but neither of them is ready to consider moving in together. As Emily begins receiving pressure from her family, she introduces the idea of them living together as a financial arrangement with no emotional strings regarding their relationship. Jon is skeptical as he lived with his former girlfriend and it ended badly where both of them badly hurt. He likes the idea of 'no strings', but is concerned that they don't know each other that well. Emily insists she is ok with it and they move in together. It is the wrong decision for both of them from the beginning as neither of them is really getting what they want or need from the relationship and living together merely makes it more complicated.
Jon is forced to ask his parents for money, which creates an emotional dynamic that is reminiscent of his childhood, where his parents smothered him and tried to control all his decisions. Jon is feeling more and more indebted to his parents and now blames Emily rather than taking responsibility for his own decisions. Emily moves back home abruptly one afternoon and Jon is left with the rent and getting rid of the apartment. He is feeling like a 'nothing' with no future and no ability to take care of himself.
1) How does Jon's developmental stage inform his behavior and thinking at this juncture of his life? What is the basic virtue?
2) What contemporary demographics influence this life stage?
3) How does the psychosocial crisis relate to this scenario?