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MID-LIFE CRISES
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As
we enter mid-life, the baby boom generation remains an enigma. Its
members rejected the values of their parents and changed the structure
of their families in ways unimaginable to a previous generation.
But they must now shoulder adult responsibilities and assume positions
of leadership (if they aren't already in them). Put another way:
the baby boom stands at a point of transition. This is not the first
time this generation has collectively faced a point of transition.
When the leading-edge boomers began turning 30, they hit what psychologist
Daniel Levinson calls the "Age 30 Transition."
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The
struggle of leaving childhood and entering the adult years was worked
out in a period of stagnant wages and appreciating house prices.
The leading edge
of this generation is now in the midst of a more significant transition:
the mid-life transition. Turning 40 is no more a predictor of change
than turning 30 was.
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But
somewhere in that time period, mid-life re-evaluation begins. It
is a stage in which men and women begin to evaluate and question
their priorities and deal with their dreams and aspirations. While
this transition is both somber and serious, some have attempted
to inject some levity into the discussion.
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While
some social commentators want to discount the existence of a mid-life
crisis, psychologists and sociologists assure us that something
is indeed taking place. It is not merely media hype or self-fulfilling
prophecy. During the years of mid-life, a substantial re-evaluation
is taking place.
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In
actuality, the transition to mid-life is gradual. There are no major
landmarks or signposts that signal our entry into this new and uncharted
domain. Perhaps that is why there are so many jokes about turning
40 even though nothing of any significance actually happens on one's
40th birthday. Turning 40 provides a visible demarcation of a gradual
process.
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