Death and the mid-life crisis*

In the course of the development of the individual there are critical phases which have the character of change points, or periods of rapid transition. The change in creativity can be seen in the lives of countless artists. There was a creative lull until, at fifty-five, he began to work on the great Medici monument and then later on "The Last Judgement" and frescoes in the Pauline Chapel. The careers of most creative persons either begin or end during the mid-life crisis. This crisis may express itself in three different ways: the creative career may simply come to an end, either in a drying-up of creative work, or in actual death; the creative capacity may begin to show and express itself for the first time; or a decisive change in the quality and content of creativeness may take place. Creative work in mature adulthood may sometimes not appear to be externally worked over and sculpted, and yet actually be so.