Development in Midlife
Running head: DEVELOPMENT IN MIDLIFE
Development in Midlife: I’m Not as Jung as I Used to Be
Michael V. Anderson
Central Community College
Abstract
The developmental stage of midlife has traditionally been studied less than many of the other developmental stages of life. The goal of this paper is to examine some of the aspects of midlife that are of particular interest as a greater number of people pass through this stage of their lives than ever before. This paper will attempt to shed light on the more notable choices and challenges of midlife, how traditional ideas about midlife may be shifting as this large demographic passes through and how our collective perception expands and evolves. In an ever-changing world, the successful navigation of midlife will involve adjusting and transitioning more than ever before.
Development in Midlife: I’m Not as Jung as I Used to Be
Midlife is a normal developmental life stage. When we refer to something as being normal, we usually mean that it is something that everyone experiences. As with other developmental life stages, midlife begins with a choice. We either choose to accept it and take advantage of a wonderful opportunity to grow and enrich ourselves, or we choose to deny it and internalize our changing thoughts and feelings. Either way, we cannot escape the process (Becker, 2006). The challenges and opportunities that some theorists have presented will be explored in this paper. Traditionally speaking, midlife is perceived as the “afternoon” of our lives. Carl Jung was one of the first to develop a concept of the midlife mind. Jung once said: “…we cannot live the afternoon of life according to the program of life’s morning – for what was great in the morning will be little at evening, and what in the morning was true will at evening have become a lie” (Lachman, 2004, 306.) How does one go about defining midlife? Holistically speaking,
Development in Midlife: I’m Not as Jung as I Used to Be
Michael V. Anderson
Central Community College
Abstract
The developmental stage of midlife has traditionally been studied less than many of the other developmental stages of life. The goal of this paper is to examine some of the aspects of midlife that are of particular interest as a greater number of people pass through this stage of their lives than ever before. This paper will attempt to shed light on the more notable choices and challenges of midlife, how traditional ideas about midlife may be shifting as this large demographic passes through and how our collective perception expands and evolves. In an ever-changing world, the successful navigation of midlife will involve adjusting and transitioning more than ever before.
Development in Midlife: I’m Not as Jung as I Used to Be
Midlife is a normal developmental life stage. When we refer to something as being normal, we usually mean that it is something that everyone experiences. As with other developmental life stages, midlife begins with a choice. We either choose to accept it and take advantage of a wonderful opportunity to grow and enrich ourselves, or we choose to deny it and internalize our changing thoughts and feelings. Either way, we cannot escape the process (Becker, 2006). The challenges and opportunities that some theorists have presented will be explored in this paper. Traditionally speaking, midlife is perceived as the “afternoon” of our lives. Carl Jung was one of the first to develop a concept of the midlife mind. Jung once said: “…we cannot live the afternoon of life according to the program of life’s morning – for what was great in the morning will be little at evening, and what in the morning was true will at evening have become a lie” (Lachman, 2004, 306.) How does one go about defining midlife? Holistically speaking,
References: Becker, D. (2006) Therapy for the middle-aged: The relevance of existential issues. Lachman, M. E. (2004) Development in midlife. Annual Review of Psychology 55 (1) 305-331. Mollen, D. (2006) Voluntarily childfree women: Experiences and counseling considerations. Nevidjon, B. (2004) Managing from the middle: Integrating midlife challenges of children, elder parents, and career Van Hiel, A., Mervielde, I. & Fruyt, F. (2006) Stagnation and generativity: Structure, validity, and differential relationships with adaptive and maladaptive personality Jaques, E. (1965) Death and the mid-life crisis. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 46, 502- 514