Objective 11-5 Adulthood’s ages & stages

“Midlife crisis” People in their forties enter a midlife transition—the process of coping with the realization that they will soon find their life mostly behind them. Research indicates that general dissatisfaction, divorce, anxiety, and suicide do NOT surge during the early forties.

Age & Adulthood Age not a trigger of life crises, rather life events such as illness, divorce or job loss. The “social clock”—the societal standard for the timing of marriage, child-rearing, retirement, etc. relative to one’s life—differs among cultures.

Chance & Life Events Life events signify transitions to new phases of adulthood. The “social clocks” remain, but people are straying from them more frequently due to such events becoming increasingly unpredictable. Chance occurrences such as romantic attraction may heavily influence adulthood.