Middle-aged adults fall in the thresholds of 40 years up to 50 years. Men and women in these years are at the highest point of their productivity. It is also during this time that these people mature and find their emotional stability. In effect, they can manage tasks like child rearing, managing a household, and caring for their parents. These functions are made possible through maturity that enables stability and environmental pressures that force them to get better jobs or acquire better financial capabilities. There is also the effect of their personal needs. Notably, as people age and grow, their responsibilities and expectations grow as well. Thus, the people work harder in their careers to prevent debt and the need to save for their future retirement lives. I believe that these tasks make one successful during their mid-life. In effect, having a good career, stable family, and raising children is all that matters at this stage. There can be no better accomplishments at this stage of life.
Essentially, the mid-life crisis is a period where some people assume that their mortality and time are running out. This feeling leads to restlessness and discontent in life. It is often characterized by persons aged 40-60 years, who have the need to reassess their lives. The transition is characterized by behaviors like boredom and discontent, restlessness, and the need to venture into entirely different areas. There is also the need to question previous decisions, sadness, and irritability, among others. Further, mid-life crisis is assumed to occur when an older adult examines their lives and establishes that they are not happy with the choices they made when they were younger. Such a reevaluation of life prompts drastic decisions like the need to overspend and the need to have a younger partner, among other behaviors. However, not all people go through this crisis.
Essentially, one could reevaluate their lives and feel they are living it the best possible way. Thus, they are satisfied with the turnout of events and do not regret their choices. Further, some of these behaviors associated with the crisis are not entirely bound by age. For example, overspending on an expensive purchase could be as a result of having a lot of money to spend and not necessarily the result of a crisis. Typically, people at this age have made so much money in their lives that this is the time to spend it.
There are several forms of middle life crisis. These include the need to indulge in expensive and extravagant purchases. Mostly, an individual feels that their time is almost up, as they have lived half their life. Therefore, they choose to spend their money on things they never had. Second is the need to find a younger partner. People going through the mid-life crisis desire to get younger partners to remind them of their active years. This makes them feel younger and alive.
Fundamentally, people are convinced that the midlife period is a time for reexamination and reevaluation. One has lived half their lives at this stage. In effect, the realization that one side of life is gone, and one is approaching the end of their lives makes them re-evaluate their positions to determine that they are in the right direction.
What alternatives to the midlife crisis are presented by developmental psychologists?
Another alternative of mid-life crisis for women is menopause. Menopause is the one thing that changes the emotions of women and leads to a different developmental phase. For men, this alternative is known as andropause. These developmental changes cause a change in testosterone levels, leading to constant depression, fatigue, reduced libido, hot flashes, and sweating, among other signs.