Liminality and Rites of Passage
Transitions — new job, new parent, divorce, graduation, relocation — pass through a liminal state where old rules are suspended and identity is open; people in it are unusually receptive, generous and exploitable.
An everyday example
The spending spree of the newly promoted; the products that find you the week after the baby.
What it can cost you
Making lasting commitments in a temporary state; being targeted precisely because you are in transition.
Warning signs
- Everything feels possible and nothing feels settled.
- The offers know what just happened to me.
One thing to do
Recognise the liminal state; defer irreversible decisions until the new identity has settled; be suspicious of offers timed to transitions.
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