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Adult Dev Reply 3
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Adult Dev Reply 3
TEXT:
https://www.oercommons.org/courses/lifespan-development-2
Original Question:
For this week’s Forum, respond to the following: What are some of the biggest challenges faced by adults in middle adulthood (roughly ages 40-65)? Have you ever known anyone who experienced a “midlife crisis?” If so, don’t name names, but describe that person’s behaviors. If not, think of an example you’ve seen in a book, movie, or TV show. What would theorists such as Erikson or Levinson say about such behaviors?
Reply to the following response with 200 words minimum. (please make response as if having a conversation, respond directly to some of the statements in below post. This is not providing an analysis of the original post. Respectfully address it and even ask clarifying or additional questions.)
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Some of the biggest challenges middle aged adults face concern their physical being. The way the look and feel about themselves becomes an area of conflict as metabolism slows and joint pain may begin to increase. With that being said, diets do not change, and it can be surprising to see weight gain (Overstreet, n.d.). Establishing a new exercise routine while eating less to maintain is challenging and can be discouraging. Also, the feeling of not contributing to the world or possible comparing to other younger versions of themselves leaves middle aged individuals feeling like they need to immediately change or even quite depressed.
My sister in law just recently turned 44 years old and started to show signs that could be classified as characteristics of one who may be experiencing a midlife crisis. She began going to college, almost as if she had regret in her younger years and was mirroring her young daughter’s current status. Not that it is unheard of for individuals her age to start school, it was just the motive behind it that was alarming. She even verbally expressed her recent doctor visits and how she was informed that she is going through menopause.
This was not the only thing that was out of the ordinary; the most shocking was her new-found interest in Lip Sense. She began selling, advertising and putting videos of herself on Instagram to promote the product. The videos were seriously painful to watch; it was almost like those corny informercials! Some other things she did like buying a brand-new truck for her husband and paying for her family to fly across the world for an international vacation, aligned with Erikson’s ideas in regard to generativity vs. stagnation. She wanted to make a difference while giving to others and making her presence known and feel a sense of pride within herself. It was evident that her growing age, possible discomfort or realization of her shortcomings of accomplishments in life urged her to act the way she did (Overstreet, n.d.). The sudden urgency to make changes seemed to be a midlife crisis to the many people who know her.
Reference
Psyc 200 Lifespan Psychology. Authored by: Laura Overstreet. Located at: http://opencourselibrary.org/econ-201/ . License: CC BY: Attribution
2.
For myself, I entered the workforce relatively young, and would classify the stage upon entry as Levinson’s early adult transition stage. I was 17 years of age when I left home and became more or less independent of my parents, but occasionally relied upon them if needed (car problems etc.). But independence is subjective, we all rely on someone or something, especially during the transition from adolescent to adult. I worked several jobs, not by any means as a career, and did so to support myself. In line with Arnett’s (2004) description of an emerging adult’s focus and search for employment, my childhood career dreams vanished and I struggled to find my place in the workforce.
The employment I did find after cutting hair in a salon, was a bank teller job. My first full time position. Although I felt that working at the bank fit my work identity, I found that my co-workers were not as comfortable working with me as I them. I was young and most of my co-workers were well into their 30’s to late 50’s. I found this to be a struggle even after I gained a customer service position at another bank. As time went on, I eventually became a manager in my 20’s at a government convenience store, in which the same challenges held true. I was managing people that were either older than myself or my age. This was quite difficult. I had to establish boundaries, but found that to be almost impossible. The older personnel would not adhere to my requests and the employees that were my age became more like friends. However, in the end, these low-level careers, as Arnett (2004) described paved the way for me to eventually land an HR position that I was quite satisfied with! Then came marriage and eventually I left the workforce to focus on my family-kids etc.
I have always wondered how some people really do find their passion in their career, aligning their talents to their work. I find that to be a true achievement. Is it their lifestyle, their background, their parent’s income, their education, their parent’s career, their drive to become successful or whatever else that makes them just “know” what they want to do and actually do it? You read about famous musicians, composers, writers, painters etc. and most of the biographies relay that they just knew, but as you read more into the book, you find that their parents were also musicians, or something along those lines. So, do we have more pull as to where our parents ended up? It seems that way for myself. I homeschool and have obtained a degree in Early Childhood development which is similar to my mom’s career path as a teacher.
-Adrienne
References
Arnett, J. (2004). Emerging adulthood: the winding road from the late teens through the twenties. Retrieved from http://ebookcentral.proquest.com. As some of us have experienced and as our text points out midlife comes with physical changes that can become challenging. Issues such as joint pain, vison degradation, slowing metabolism and autoimmune disease are all things that can become issues in midlife. The physical challenges aside, midlife is for many a time of reflection on what they have accomplished with their life. In some cases this can lead to feelings of regret and in others it can lead to a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. I have not quite reached the 40 to 65 age range described in our text as midlife but I am closer than I would like to admit. I have noticed that many of the physical degradation side effects of getting older have already started. I do not foresee a midlife crisis in my future but I do think that I will increase my physical activity so I can stay healthy for as long as possible. I have however seen a couple people I know experience a midlife crisis. Typically these individuals will purchase a motorcycle and/or a sports car and begin acting like they are much younger than they are. Someone I knew began to abuse substances for fitness gain and was overusing prescribed testosterone. These behaviors reinforce Levinson’s theory about people not realizing their dreams they had when they were younger when versus the reality around them. In some ways people seem to be trying to capture what they thought life would be like by buying and doing things that at times may seem irrational. Erickson according to our assigned reading would more than likely view these midlife behaviors as a means to avoid stagnation. It would seem that the result would vary from individual but it is also interesting to note that according to our text experiencing a midlife crisis is not that common of an occurrence.
Psyc 200 Lifespan Psychology. Authored by: Laura Overstreet. Located at: http://opencourselibrary.org/econ-201/ . License: CC BY: Attribution
3.
This is one of those areas that I think requires some experience, empathy, walking the path, etc. and being aware of current societal pressures. I remember when growing up that the TV version of a midlife crisis was buying fancy cars, spending money, and having affairs. The reality is more along the lines of unfulfilled dreams, expectations, and lost opportunities. I disagree with this week’s reading that this stage of life is mostly marked by a sense of wellbeing (Overstreet, 2016), perhaps it is for the financially secure and those who can afford choices.
I know several people who are in the midst of a midlife identity crisis, many struggling with the same issues. For a few, the “do the right thing and work hard” mantra in the civilian sector only led to several layoffs and an unsecure future. They wonder if they should have worked for someone else all this time in an office or learned a more valuable trade skill and worked for themselves. The promise of achieving a higher education did not work out and certain life disasters drained all their savings. They are coming to terms with working much of the rest of their lives and not retiring.
Still others held off on having children until it was too late. The long work hours, the costs of having children, and the constant stress led to time slipping by – and now these friends are wondering who will take care of them when they get older as they are the only ones left helping the remaining family elders.
A great many of my friends are having trouble finding full-time employment with benefits. Ageism is alive and well. The cost to add a middle-aged or older worker to a company’s health insurance plan is costly. I had the unfortunate experience of working for a company where the HR department did not have a problem letting everyone know on a regular basis that the average employee age was too old. At another company, it took only one cancer case to send premiums skyrocketing. There are several middle-age and older staff I know who were let go as employees, only to be asked to return as contractors.
Perhaps, more research will be narrowly focused on this transitional time period.
Overstreet, L. (2016, March 31). Lifespan Development. Retrieved January 1, 2018, from https://www.oercommons.org/courses/lifespan-development-2
** Please don’t just rephrase their info, but respond to it. Remember to answer question at the end if there is one. **
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