Middle Age: a Review of the Literature and Its Implications for Educational Intervention

This article reviews the research and theory related to one phase of adulthood—middle age— and suggests implications for educational practice. Contributions to the literature of mid dle age made by Buhler, Erikson, Gould, Jung, Kohlberg, Levinson, Lowenthal, Neugarten, Peck and others are reviewed within the framework of the following questions: 1) when is mid dle age?; 2) what are the psycho-social dynamics of middle age?; and 3) is there a mid-life crisis? The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of the literature for educators.