The Midlife Crisis
Page 1 of 3A crisis demands a man to make difficult choices under severe duress, yet even a cursory look at how three particular men in history fared in crisis yields mixed results: Jimmy Carter's decisions during the Iran Hostage Crisis arguably cost him his job. Faced with the Sudetenland Crisis, Neville Chamberlain decided to take Hitler for an honorable chap, precipitating World War II. In the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy choose not to blink in a game of thermonuclear stare-down. One out of three — hardly a resounding success.
So with these high-stakes crises in mind, can an average man's midlife crisis compare? Ask him — better yet, ask his lady — and settle in for a persuasive argument, because the midlife crisis, as a tale of both morality and mortality, can wreak havoc on the stability of a man's hard-won life.
The manifestationsFirst, let's glance at some of the behaviors through which the crisis is often manifested:
The whatWhat is a midlife crisis, and when did it enter the collective consciousness? Canadian psychologist Elliot Jaques coined the term in his 1965 article "Death and the Midlife Crisis" for the International Journal of Psychoanalysis, highlighting an explosion of the concept that has lasted to the present day. Although there is no standard definition of the crisis, it is best viewed as a re-evaluation of one's life with a view towards changing certain aspects before it's too late. The age of onset varies widely, occuring anywhere from 35 to 60.
Still, the medical community is split on the subject. Many experts — and countless sufferers — say it is as inevitable as the awkward teen years. Others, however, argue it patently does not exist today, in part because life is substantially more diversified than it has ever been, thereby eliminating any hope for a unified theory. The lack of a consensus is meaningless, however, to those suffering such a crisis, to those watching a loved one suffer and to those anxious to avoid it altogether.
What factors promote a midlife crisis?