Middle adulthood begins at the age of 40 - 60. This is a time when you can't believe where the time went. It seems like just yesterday you were graduating from college, got married, and had children. Your children are now approaching young adulthood, pushing you into the next stage of life, middle adulthood. You look in the mirror and all the signs of middle age are starting to set in. You notice wrinkles, gray hair, flabby skin and you're having trouble reading the menu. You begin to reassess you life. Are you happy with what you have accomplished in life so far? Do you have good family relationships? Is your career on track? Are you happy with yourself?

There are many conflicts with both men and women during this period of life. One conflict very important to both men and women is the bodily issue. Our body weight starts to change. Fat seems to be redistributed to the hips, stomach and trunk; our complexions become drier and wrinkles start to appear. Our skin doesn't seem to be as resilient as it was in our 20's and 30's. In women there is a drop in bone mass, due to the slow depletion

During this time, there may be turmoil in the family, marital distress, and general dissatisfaction with our lives. Many people during this time go through what we call the "mid-life crisis". A mid-life crisis may be caused by many different issues. During the early 30's, the woman's primary duty is child rearing and may also be pursuing a career. Most men focus on their job careers. Sometimes these two people are heading in the same direction, but may be on two different parallel roads. Men may realize their mortality and may express their turmoil and self doubts by reverting to adolescent type behavior.

When women go through a mid-life crisis, their crisis evolves around interpersonal relationships in the family rather than aging. Men seem to be more involved with the aging factor. Women may go through the 'empty nest' syndrome. Their children are becoming young adults and leaving the 'nest'. For some women, that have devoted most of their time to child rearing with a small amount devoted to career, this may be a very difficult time. This leaves just you and your husband. A time for reacquaintance and renewal of your relationship. As we progress into the 40's. we also see an emergence of more feminine/masculine aspects of self. Women start to take on a more masculine qualities, such as assertiveness and independence; while men tend to move towards a more calm,

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Approximate Word count = 943
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)