Levinson Case Study

Development at middle age is affected by physical, emotional, cognitive and social transitions. Jeff is a 50 year old man that has transitioned from young adulthood to now a middle aged adult. Jeff had issues with his weight when he was younger and now he has acquired obesity, high blood pressure and type II diabetes, all of which can cause significant changes in his health (Argosy Course Notes, 2015). Jeff is also now the CEO of a small company that he built from the ground up, which in turn causes much stress for Jeff and his family. His two daughters attend school, one is in college and the other is a senior in high school. Jeff has also found a suitable mate and they live comfortably on the salary that Jeff brings in. However, Jeff’s physical health is on a decline and he must get a control on the high blood pressure and the diabetes or it may kill him. Jeff’s socioeconomic status has got him far in life, being the CEO of a small company has helped him to be financially stable enough to raise his family. However if Jeff did not have that position things may be different for him. Depending on the kind of work that he did, if he did not own his own business Jeff would most likely have a job that he did not like and that means that he would have issues

The life stages are close in nature, however, in Erikson theory the first stage in middle age is about reflection and how a person can help others, leaving behind a legacy of some sort, and in Levinson’s theory the first stage is how one was young and now they are old. In both theories there are questions and reflections upon one’s life and all that one has had to overcome and how much one has done with their life. The midlife crisis is dependent on lifestyle choices, emotional aspects, conscientiousness, and conflict communication styles (Minnesota State University,