| dc.description.abstract | This research explores midlife crisis as it is experienced by both men
and women. Midlife crisis is a time of painful inner turmoil and conflict
with the external world. The experience has a dramatic impact on
individual lives, yet midlife crisis is neglected in adult development
literature. A review of the literature suggests that prevailing theories of
adult development are based on research grounded in organismic
metatheory. Traditional theories fail to address the complexity of human
development and are criticized by feminist researchers for ignoring salient _
aspects of women's experience. Proposed models of women's adult
development, however, also have significant shortcomings. Psychology is
moving towards conceptualizing human development within a contextual
worldview and focusing on the dynamic relations between individuals and
their contexts.
In this study, it is proposed that: 1) the experience of midlife crisis is
best understood within the metatheoretical perspective of developmental
contextualism; and 2) the fundamental experience of midlife crisis is
shared by men and women. The basis for the research question is drawn
from an analysis of the contrasting metatheories, and what is known about
adult development, midlife transitions, developmental crisis and midlife
crisis. The research question is: What is the meaning of the experience of
midlife crisis?
Existential-phenomenological research methodology is used in this
study. Transcripts of interviews with the co-researchers, twenty men and
women experiencing midlife crisis, are analyzed to develop a
phenomenological description of the experience. Data analysis involves a
hierarchical thematic analysis resulting in a synthesis of the structure of the
shared experience. Four structural themes emerge: the onset of the
experience, the disruptive nature of the experience, the revealing power of
the experience, and developmental change in relation to the experience.
Results are discussed within a developmental contextual perspective.
The intent of this work is to enable educators, clinicians, and the general
public to gain an understanding of the experience of midlife crisis in order
to maximize the opportunities presented in this experience while
minimizing or avoiding the inherent dangers. Implications of the results for
education, clinical practice, and adult developmental theory are discussed | en_US |
