Questioning the midlife crises

In the New York Times health section, Dr. Richard Friedman questions the viability of the seemingly widespread “midlife crises” among people (primarily men) of a certain age. He notes:

Why do we have to label a common reaction of the male species to one of life’s challenges — the boredom of the routine — as a crisis? True, men are generally more novelty-seeking than women, but they certainly can decide what they do with their impulses.

But surely someone has had a genuine midlife crisis. After all, don’t people routinely struggle with questions like “What can I expect from the rest of my life?” or “Is this all there is?”

Then, a study…

Of course. But it turns out that only a distinct minority think it constitutes a crisis. In 1999, the MacArthur Foundation study on midlife development surveyed 8,000 Americans ages 25 to 74. While everyone recognized the term “midlife crisis,” only 23 percent of subjects reported having one. And only 8 percent viewed their crisis as something tied to the realization that they were aging; the remaining 15 percent felt the crisis resulted from specific life events. Strikingly, most people also reported an increased sense of well-being and contentment in middle age.

And some reflections…

So what keeps the myth of the midlife crisis alive?

The main culprit, I think, is our youth-obsessed culture, which makes a virtue of the relentless pursuit of self-renewal. The news media abound with stories of people who seek to recapture their youth simply by shedding their spouses, quitting their jobs or leaving their families. Who can resist?

Most middle-aged people, it turns out, if we are to believe the definitive survey.

Except, of course, for the few — mainly men, it seems — who find the midlife crisis a socially acceptable shorthand for what you do when you suddenly wake up and discover that you’re not 20 anymore.

I guess I shouldn’t like this article since it denies me the American male birthright to have a midlife crises, but I thought that it was pretty interesting. I have some questions though. Do we really even know when a midlife crises is supposed to occur? You usually see it discussed in the context of men in their late forties or early fifties – does this mean that they expect to live to be 100? Perhaps we should call it a 2/3 life crises. What if you have a family history of, let’s say, lack of longevity – should you go ahead and start your midlife crises at 28? I think that there was a Northern Exposure episode on this issue, but I forget the details. Also, what implications does this have for the quarter-life crises (which allegedly affects males and females equally) that I heard so much about a while back?