Longitudinal perspectives on midlife development: stability and change

Excerpt

Midlife has emerged as a normative developmental period in the life course only during the twentieth century (Moen and Wethington 1999). The emergence of midlife as a life stage is associated with two demographic trends: the increase in human longevity and the decline in fertility. All Western societies are experiencing a rectangularization of the age distribution, such that there is a greater proportion of individuals in middle and old age than in childhood, as would be the case in the traditional pyramid age structure. There is growing concern within Western societies regarding the societal and health care demands that will arise when those currently in middle age reach old age (Eggebeen and Sturgeon 2006). However, optimal physical and psychological development in late life will depend largely on the experiences of individuals during middle age. A major contribution of the articles in this special section is in providing further understanding of the changes occurring within midlife and how these change may affect the experience of old age. …