Abstract
Most of us, regardless of education or profession, would probably agree that the middle-aged adult is at the apex of life. The middle-aged adult generally operates at his optimum level as he interacts with others, is at his peak earning capacity, and executes projects at his greatest level of efficiency. Why, then, has so much attention been paid to the so-called midlife crisis, a term now well ingrained in our vocabularies? I think an answer lies in the fact that the peak of life often stimulates a period of self-assessment. One cannot remain at a peak forever but must prepare to face a downhill journey or perhaps a walk along a plateau. This chapter examines the tasks confronted by men at middle age by virtue of this psychological state of affairs, tasks that are part of a natural developmental progression. It also takes a look at how these tasks are handled in three central spheres of life: work, family, and social relationships.
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Tamir, L.M. (1982). Men at Middle Age. In: Moos, R.H. (eds) Coping with Life Crises. The Springer Series on Stress and Coping. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-7021-5_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-7021-5_13
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
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