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Older people have different requirements from society and government, and frequently have differing values as well, such as for property and pension rights. [1] Older people are also more likely to vote, and in many countries the young are forbidden from voting. Thus, the aged have comparatively more, or at least different, political influence. [2]
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.
In the United States during the early 1960s, the average age that young adults were marrying was 20 for women and 23 for men, [40] which means young adulthood consisted of parenthood and continuing higher education. Young women concentrated on becoming full-time mothers, whereas men focused on their careers while parenthood took a backseat. [10]
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.
This means that there is a confound within Levinson's study, and his conclusions about the existence of a midlife crisis as a normal stage in life may not be correct. Much of the original research suggesting that the midlife crisis is a normal part of life is confounded and anecdotal, has not been replicated, and was not longitudinal. [4]
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.
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)
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: