Men at Middle Age: Developmental Transitions

Abstract

The transition to middle age can simultaneously be a time of peak performance and a time of psychological setbacks in the lives of men. In the process of preparing for the second half of life, the man must deal with health issues, his imminent death, self-assessment, his sex role, and his responsibilities to future generations. The working through of these tasks is reflected in the work, family, and social lives of men at this stage. At the work place the man must either accept his failure to achieve his long-term goals or he must decide if having reached his goals has been worth the effort. Many men, as a result, disengage from the work place as their major source of personal fulfillment. On the other hand, interpersonal relations begin to come to prominence at the middle-age transition. The marital bond and sense of social connectedness felt by the individual become more integrally related to personal well-being at this time. The policy makers and corporate enterprises so entwined in the lives and well-being of men need to take into account these issues of middle age in order to ease the transition and to avoid the necessity of making a painful choice between occupational and interpersonal fulfillment.