Psychological Influences of Midlife Transition in Men Essay

Understanding hu part development has, for quite a time, concentrated on childhood and adolescence and it took several(prenominal) time for researchers to falling out trainably on exploring adulthood. This does not indicate however that there is a dearth of data about specific facets of the adult animateness (e. g. marriage, life expectancy, occupation, retirement, etcetera ). Still, one may consider that there is a very restricted understanding of the basic principles of adult development.Consider for example one significant signifier in the adult life one shot, specifically that which has been acknowledged as the midlife crisis. Isnt it a fact that individuals, in one point of their lives, regardless of the phase they be in, experience full of life moments? Perhaps we should consider the midlife as a transition or a common phase in an individuals life as Dr. Fred Horowitz, an executive coach who has worked with hundreds of business owners, executives and professionals assi sting them in the transition process sees this phenomenon.One may assert nonetheless that this stage is one of the most critical stages in an individuals life cycle, next to adolescence, since individuals experiencing crisis during the midlife transition may end up re-living the extreme options to the crisis a fussy individual is experiencing at that particular time. Passage to this phase of the life cycle may wholesome be considered of equal importance as the understanding of separation anxiety of a biennial old or the questions on identity and self-expression commonly experienced by the adolescent.The midlife transition is developmental and inherently built into the structure of the personality and the Self. It is Psychological Influences 3 at this phase that the deepest inner strivings of the soul press for expression, even if that expression threatens a well-structured world and sense of identity. As much as undergoing the midlife transition is inevitable, so is the recogniti on that in spite of the confusing and serious mental influences that accompany this phase in the life cycle, an understanding leading to acceptance of these facts, can dress as a threshold for growth and change.In this connection, I have found two articles that provide insights on what could be considered debilitating psychological do of mans passage to this particular phase in the life cycle 1) Les Brown, H. (November 09, 2008). Is the Man in the Mirror a Fraud, and 2) an article titled, Crisis in nub Adulthood Age 45- 65. Both articles describe this transitional phase, where the man who could not overcome the pressures accompanying the transition, puts on a psychological defense mechanism. L. Brown refers to much(prenominal) response as projection. On the other hand, Crisis in Midlife Adulthood, points to stagnation or self-absorption as a direct psychological response of an individual undergoing this transition. Les Brown, while pose his article on a latest book titled, Ir ritable Male Syndrome, written by Dr. Jed Diamond, centers on the family as he considers it as the main consideration in which this staminate psychological response to midlife transition is most discernible.He rationalizes that in this context where a man experiences the most intimate relationships is where he is also most vulnerable When a guys inner world starts to come unglued, the first of all to notice it are those who love him. As a result, the man projects a personality that is entirely different to what he really is in real life as the Psychological Influences 4 midlife male sees all slightly him in his most intimate surroundings reflections of his own (supposed) shortcomings. The process continues 1) the male perceives a reality (which is assumed to have been distorted by his present psychological state) and assumes that such circumstance poses a threat to his personality 2) as he moves from the source of the reflection he carries and projects a self-image (presumably to defend himself of being unmasked of his real frantic state) 3) his significant others perceive the obvious change however are uncertain of what is really going on with the midlife male. They try to act out as what is the midlife male tries to picture to them as what should be their response to his behavior.The midlife male still sees such behavior in a different perspective. The seemingly unending and continuous empowering of cultural bias, faulty assumptions, and dysfunctional belief, results to the midlife males feeling of shame. Les Brown ends with a reminder to the midlife males who are in constant struggle as they try to understand the transition phase. He provided an analogy of the reflection process to the literal mirroring act what the person is seeing is exactly the person his going to need to confront, and, in spite of his fears, hes not a fraudrather he is the person youd need to know for the first time. He ends by pointing out the imperative nature of this life c ycle that ones reaction to the process may undeniably shape what the person will become afterwards. Though the presentation of the writers moods copulation to midlife transition is obviously clear and lucid, however, his earlier attribution to a recent writing on the subject did not make him as credible as the author he earlier referred to. It sounded much Psychological Influences 5more of marketing strategy than a call for credibility. It would have been better had he presented his ideas first then anchored them on not just one reference, which would made him sound more authoritative on the subject matter. The second article, alternatively presents a full general understanding on middle adulthood, specifically the crises that both genders experienced during the midlife transition. A brief characterization of the crises experienced by the two sexes were delineated in the article.At the end, however, the writer differentiated two models that apparently explain such events as the m idlife transition and the midlife crisis. Such transition seems illogical and unnecessary and made the presentation of the articles idea unclear. I would consider the second article rather loose since it presents a number of although related thoughts do not present a holistic elucidation of what these separately identifiable elements are. A little explanation on different aspects in the subject (middle adulthood) made his presentation unacceptable.Ideas were presented from the specific to the general, but the relatedness as well as the transition from one of the sub-topics to another could not be considered conclusive of foregoing statements. Also the fact that there was no reference to the author or other authority on the subject (except for Erickson, though reference to authority was not rationally done) made the presentation less acceptable. In conclusion, both articles although to some extent served their purpose as being content articles could not be considered successful in providing new insights in the subject matter.Finally, in a interchange of hyper-mediation, which is the primary facet of the Psychological Influences 6 Web and the internet, writers as those specified here, should have maximized what their medium could offer (though this is not part of the review, I still consider this part and parcel of that which contributes to the efficiency of the distribution of specific content to its intended audience). As such hyperlinks may have been considered in presenting the articles they have written. ReferencesLes Brown, H. (November 09, 2008). Is the Man in the Mirror a Fraud? Retrieved April 06, 2009 from Midlife Mastery Website http//www. midlifemaster. net/2008/11/for-the-past-few-days-ive-been-reading-dr- jed-diamonds-newest-book-the-irritable-male-syndrome-with-rapt-attention-in- adv. html CliffsNotes. com. Crisis in Middle Adulthood Age 4565. Retrieved April 06, 2009 from Cliffnotes Website http//www. cliffsnotes. com/WileyCDA/CliffsReviewTop ic/topicArticleId- 26831,articleId-26814. html