Puer aeternus

Puer aeternus is Latin for eternal boys. In mythology, it means a child-god who is forever young. It also means a man who has mental age like a 10 year old.

Peter Pan is an example of a Puer aeternus. He can't love. He forgets about the adventures he has so he had to repeat the same mistakes the same story over and over again. He thinks that life is a game so he can do whatever he wants. He is boastful, narcissistic, playful, and he is suffering from the thought of growing up. He is also suffering from curiosity.

"What else is there?!" he said in the 2003 movie version of this child story.

"What else is there?!"

He secretly thinks about growing up sometimes. He secretly thinks about being in love with someone and spending the rest of his life with her. Yet, his definition of adventures ruins the thought at times. He refused again and again. The cycle never stops.

He is a boy who never grows old.