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In fact, today’s 40- and 50-something women do look and feel different from their mothers at the same age. Old ideas about this life stage are undergoing something of a rebrand.
Stage-crisis view is a theory of adult development that was established by Daniel Levinson. [1] [2] Although largely influenced by the work of Erik Erikson, [3] Levinson sought to create a broader theory that would encompass all aspects of adult development as opposed to just the psychosocial.
Levinson also emphasized that a common part of adult development is the midlife crisis. The process that underlies all these stages is individuation - a movement towards balance and wholeness over time. The key stages that he discerned in early adulthood and midlife were as follows: Early Adult Transition (Ages 16–24)
A midlife crisis is a transition of identity and self-confidence that can occur in middle-aged individuals, typically 45 to 64/65 years old. [1] [2] [3] The phenomenon is described as a psychological crisis brought about by events that highlight a person's growing age, inevitable mortality, and possible lack of accomplishments in life.
A midlife crisis may not be an aspiration for many, but it was always an option. According to a columnist for The Cut, New York Magazine’s website, 40-somethings now no longer have that privilege.
But while the midlife crises of the baby boom generations may have been defined by a fear of getting older or panic about major life changes, younger generations experience a different set of worries.
The name comes from the idea that middle-aged adults are "sandwiched" between their dependent children and their dependent parents. Carol Abaya, nationally recognized as an expert on aging and elder/parent care issues in the US, categorized the different scenarios involved in being a part of the sandwich generation in the following way:
Levinson also believed that the midlife crisis was a common and normal part of development. [6] The stage-crisis theory has been criticized due to Levinson's research methods. Levinson studied men and women who were all in the same age group, making his results and conclusions subject to cohort effects .