It is expected that at some point in your MA or PhD you will have an existential crisis of some kind.  Usually they are minor and lead to a tweaking of a topic that makes it stronger but is not a vast departure from the original idea.  I had one of those in my masters and it was definitely for the best.  It also happened in December of my first year so there was ample time to adjust and refocus.  The other kind of existential crisis leads to a totally new topic.  They are not as common as the first kind but do happen.  I had one of those this week.  It was fun – no sarcasm implied either.  The result of this crisis?  Well no more coal, tourism or Rocky Mountains for me.  The new topic still under construction and needs official signing off from my supervisor so I’ll give you a few hints:  post-1960s, science, media, images, propaganda, politics, Amchitka, the Nature of Things…
Still not sure what I’m on about?  This might help.