Midlife Crisis: Myth or Reality?

Midlife Crisis: Middle or Reality?
Name:
Course:
Instructor:
Date:
Midlife crisis is indeed a reality. This stage is quite stressful to many as it is coupled with feelings of restlessness and discontent as a result of aging struggles, the realization of mortality, and the struggle to define the sense of purpose in life ADDIN CSL_CITATION { “citationItems” : [ { “id” : “ITEM-1”, “itemData” : { “DOI” : “10.1146/annurev.psych.55.090902.141521”, “ISBN” : “0066-4308”, “ISSN” : “0066-4308”, “PMID” : “14744218”, “abstract” : “The midlife period in the lifespan is characterized by a complex interplay of multiple roles. The goal of this chapter is to summarize research findings on the central themes and salient issues of midlife such as balancing work and family responsibilities in the midst of the physical and psychological changes associated with aging. The field of midlife development is emerging in the context of large demographic shifts in the population. A section on the phenomenology of midlife development presents images and expectations including the seemingly disparate views of midlife as a time of peak functioning and a period of crisis. Conceptual frameworks useful for studying the multiple patterns of change in midlife are presented. Findings demonstrating patterns of gains and losses are reviewed for multiple domains: cognitive functioning, personality and the self, emotions, social relationships, work, and physical health. The need for future research to illuminate and integrate the diverse aspects of midlife is h.

..”, “author” : [ { “dropping-particle” : “”, “family” : “Lachman”, “given” : “Margie E.”, “non-dropping-particle” : “”, “parse-names” : false, “suffix” : “” } ], “container-title” : “Annual Review of Psychology”, “id” : “ITEM-1”, “issue” : “1”, “issued” : { “date-parts” : [ [ “2004” ] ] }, “page” : “305-331”, “title” : “Development in Midlife”, “type” : “article-journal”, “volume” : “55” }, “uris” : [ “http://www.mendeley.com/documents/?uuid=6c7d1261-9940-4bc1-b0ff-74824474171e” ] } ], “mendeley” : { “formattedCitation” : “(Lachman, 2004)”, “plainTextFormattedCitation” : “(Lachman, 2004)”, “previouslyFormattedCitation” : “(Lachman, 2004)” }, “properties” : { }, “schema” : “https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json” }(Lachman, 2004). Psychologists define it as the most central period of an individual’s life spanning from the age of 40 to 65. It is during this period that people take up new jobs because of the need to reassess their professional position and make necessary socioeconomic changes while time is on their side. Psychologist Elliot Jaques came up with this term while trying to define the time when adults come to terms with their mortality as well as their remnant productive years ADDIN CSL_CITATION { “citationItems” : [ { “id” : “ITEM-1”, “itemData” : { “DOI” : “10.1146/annurev.psych.55.090902.141521”, “ISBN” : “0066-4308”, “ISSN” : “0066-4308”, “PMID” : “14744218”, “abstract” : “The midlife period in the lifespan is characterized by a complex interplay of multiple roles. The goal of this chapter is to summarize research findings on the central themes and salient issues of midlife such as balancing work and family responsibilities in the midst of the physical and psychological changes associated with aging. The field of midlife development is emerging in the context of large demographic shifts in the population. A section on the phenomenology of midlife development presents images and expectations including the seemingly disparate views of midlife as a time of peak functioning and a period of crisis. Conceptual frameworks useful for studying the multiple patterns of change in midlife are presented. Findings demonstrating patterns of gains and losses are reviewed for multiple domains: cognitive functioning, personality and the self, emotions, social relationships, work, and physical health. The need for future research to illuminate and integrate the diverse aspects of midlife is h…”, “author” : [ { “dropping-particle” : “”, “family” : “Lachman”, “given” : “Margie E.”, “non-dropping-particle” : “”, “parse-names” : false, “suffix” : “” } ], “container-title” : “Annual Review of Psychology”, “id” : “ITEM-1”, “issue” : “1”, “issued” : { “date-parts” : [ [ “2004” ] ] }, “page” : “305-331”, “title” : “Development in Midlife”, “type” : “article-journal”, “volume” : “55” }, “uris” : [ “http://www.mendeley.com/documents/?uuid=6c7d1261-9940-4bc1-b0ff-74824474171e” ] } ], “mendeley” : { “formattedCitation” : “(Lachman, 2004)”, “plainTextFormattedCitation” : “(Lachman, 2004)”, “previouslyFormattedCitation” : “(Lachman, 2004)” }, “properties” : { }, “schema” : “https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json” }(Lachman, 2004). Despite not being a universal condition, some people end up developing mental health problems such as anxiety and depression as a result of the midlife crisis.
As a professional psychologist, I would therefore advise midlife crisis patient to accept, explore, and share his or her feelings more. They should also reflect more on their life undertakings. Another advice would be for them to devote more time to their significant half in order to reenergize their relationship. I would also advise them to set new hobbies and goals. And most importantly, I would encourage them to be more upfront about their mental and overall health. Finally, I would advise them to take up more physical classes so as to maintain their fitness levels that are necessary for one to lead a healthy, active, and independent life ADDIN CSL_CITATION { “citationItems” : [ { “id” : “ITEM-1”, “itemData” : { “DOI” : “10.1146/annurev.psych.55.090902.141521”, “ISBN” : “0066-4308”, “ISSN” : “0066-4308”, “PMID” : “14744218”, “abstract” : “The midlife period in the lifespan is characterized by a complex interplay of multiple roles. The goal of this chapter is to summarize research findings on the central themes and salient issues of midlife such as balancing work and family responsibilities in the midst of the physical and psychological changes associated with aging. The field of midlife development is emerging in the context of large demographic shifts in the population. A section on the phenomenology of midlife development presents images and expectations including the seemingly disparate views of midlife as a time of peak functioning and a period of crisis. Conceptual frameworks useful for studying the multiple patterns of change in midlife are presented. Findings demonstrating patterns of gains and losses are reviewed for multiple domains: cognitive functioning, personality and the self, emotions, social relationships, work, and physical health. The need for future research to illuminate and integrate the diverse aspects of midlife is h…”, “author” : [ { “dropping-particle” : “”, “family” : “Lachman”, “given” : “Margie E.”, “non-dropping-particle” : “”, “parse-names” : false, “suffix” : “” } ], “container-title” : “Annual Review of Psychology”, “id” : “ITEM-1”, “issue” : “1”, “issued” : { “date-parts” : [ [ “2004” ] ] }, “page” : “305-331”, “title” : “Development in Midlife”, “type” : “article-journal”, “volume” : “55” }, “uris” : [ “http://www.mendeley.com/documents/?uuid=6c7d1261-9940-4bc1-b0ff-74824474171e” ] } ], “mendeley” : { “formattedCitation” : “(Lachman, 2004)”, “plainTextFormattedCitation” : “(Lachman, 2004)”, “previouslyFormattedCitation” : “(Lachman, 2004)” }, “properties” : { }, “schema” : “https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json” }(Lachman, 2004). Physical activity should be coupled with adequate sleep.
Despite many anatomical similarities, men and women are different in many aspects such as their psychological makeup. That is why it is advisable to deal with men and women midlife crisis challenges separately. Regardless, there are some common psychotherapeutic preventive measures that can be applied to both cases.
In conclusion, as scary and painful as it seems, people should take the midlife crisis stage as a great opportunity to reassess their life creatively and lead a more fulfilling and peaceful life.
References
ADDIN Mendeley Bibliography CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Lachman, M. E. (2004). Development in Midlife. Annual Review of Psychology, 55(1), 305–331. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.55.090902.141521