Midlife “crisis” or midlife awakening? Leisure as obstacle or opportunity

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

The “midlife crisis” is a popular phrase used to describe the condition of being stuck during the middle-age years, alongside the realization that one’s life is approximately half over. It is called a crisis because that is how it is often socially portrayed and personally perceived: something must be done to ensure one makes the most of their remaining time. In the following sections, we assert that there is a dearth of research on the role of meaningful leisure pursuits in middle adulthood and that little attempt has been made at the theoretical development of transitions at midlife as it relates to leisure. We also posit since midlife is one of the longest life stages, it would be valuable to develop important insights into successful aging for the “back nine”Footnote1 and that exploring these issues requires us to understand the “psychological clock” that resides within us all.