Middle Adulthood as a Twentieth Century Phenomenon in Western Culture

Middle Adulthood as a Twentieth Century Phenomenon in Western Culture Middle adulthood is a 20th century phenomenon in Western culture. In

1900, the average life expectancy was 47 years, but now life

expectancy has increased- people are living longer and more

professionals are studying life during this age period. Between the

ages of 35-64, there are vast changes in many areas of their lives.

Stress is anything that causes a change in your body. The most obvious

changes related to lifestyle in middle-adulthood include: physical

development and health, marital status, family, career and finances

and self-concept. Stress is a natural part of living, but too much

stress can cause illness and increase the risk of death. In order to

maintain a proper level of stress, adults must rely more on knowledge

and insight to enhance overall health, well-being and longevity, as

well as learning to come to grips with developmental challenges and

transitions, to avoid having a stressful life. This can be achieved by

learning what stress is, its causes and effects, and solutions of how

one can be relieved of it. Stress plays a role in many of the diseases

of middle adulthood; it has been identified as being associated with

cardiovascular disease, reduced immunological resistance to diseases

and psychosomatic distress, to name a few. In 1936, Hans Selye, the

father of stress research, defined stress as the body's response to

any demand placed on it. He discovered the General Adaptation

Syndrome, which consists of three stages: the alarm, the resistance...

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...ropriate planning and management. To maintain a

balanced level of stress, one can learn solutions to managing everyday

stressors. Managing stress requires a personal, self-assuring,

pro-active commitment in order to effectively create a healthier

lifestyle, and the experience of well-being. Physical and biological

changes, marriage status, family relationships, career and finance,

and self-concept are not the only causes of stress. There is a variety

of stressors, good and bad; how one reacts to it is important. Success

depends on adaptation to, or the anticipation of change. It is

essential to welcome change, in order to avoid intense stress and be

able to exploit the new niches opening up on a constant basis.

References:

Dacey, J. & Travers, J. (2003). Human Development Across the Lifespan.

Boston: McGraw-Hill.