Abstract

Everything in the universe has a life cycle where the stages of life can be represented by different time periods. This paper makes an effort at understanding the role of the mid life and the crisis individual face during the course of this cycle. It also attempts to understand the career change process involvement at this particular stage and what are the repercussions and ramifications of this change process. The paper has sources in APA Format.

Life Phases and the social realms along with them are nothing less or more than the plethora of the confusing emotions that an individual goes through. Every phase of life has a new meaning every time. The thought processes, experiences, crisis at different stages of life culminate into transitions precipitating the development of man (Levinson et al 1978).

Quest of self-evaluation is constant for an individual starting from childhood to youth to the mid life and the late age. Attitudes and behavior, whether being overt or covert, introvert or extrovert, form the basis of changes which one learns to cope with. Mid life is development stage in the life cycle where the journey of life presents itself with new meaning. The phases of life not only cut off at one stage only rather quarter life, midlife all can be described the way we feel about transition in our life. (Levinson et al 1978).

In the quarter life stage an individual is a mature adult discovering himself for the first time and questioning his reasons for being. At this stage in life happiness and success both have the perfect definition, where to achieve the best for one’s self is the only goal. One would want a perfect partner, a perfect job and a perfect social stratum according to needs. But that also depends on the field of experiences. This phase of life can be defined as uncertain and unpredictable where the waters are being tested for the first time (Bhatia, 2003).

Midlife is the transformation phase giving yet another meaning and dimension to life. In both the phases of life the need to change is the major reason for the crisis to occur but the question arises out of the need to understand for self-discovery or from the quest to understand life. People normally say that in mid-life a person is usually stable, has a predictable life, but is still not happy with his lot because man is never satisfied. In both the situations the purpose is the same but the resulting stress and adaptability problems are entirely opposite. In mid-life people usually realize that they have drifted from their true self and want to do some thing different from what they are currently doing. So a career change is a step where the individual is trying to align his life goals with his work goals and trying to maintain that spiritual balance with mind, body and soul (Bhatia, 2003).

For example, the Baby boomers generation, who is aging and growing, brought to light the importance of this phase because of the stresses and changes they had to make in order to be satisfied with their being. This is a little surprising for a generation which came when there was much economic prosperity and who benefited much from the developing world. Despite achieving all that, they were the ones who changed their way of lives right in the middle to achieve entirely something else or to give new meaning to their lives. Historical data would show that people in the mid life phase changed their careers, their life styles, and themselves so that their road to self discovery can be in accordance with their values which have been internalized over the years. (Bhatia, 2003)

Trends in the working environment show that work increasingly is affecting the individuals, their attitudes, their health and their lifestyles. In trying to achieve the ultimate success, one totally forgets the purpose of life. That is why people reaching mid life, in quest for self development and personal growth try to align their work and careers with their values so that they can be answerable to their inner souls. This concept can be better understood through the transition psychology where it points out the importance work life balance. This theory also highlights the phases of transition psychology, where it can be applied whenever change becomes necessary.

Figure 1: Phases and features of the Transition Cycle, adapted from Hopson

Any life event, may it be good or bad needs adjustment, but at mid life all these factors which once had different meanings and associations go on to change the very fundamentals around which we build our lives (Williams, 1999)
This transition phase at mid-life is not a temporary; its affects are long lasting and life changing. It is known as a fact that all kinds of transitions cause stresses but the stress of mid life is enormous in its magnitude where the individual can make or destroy himself. (Williams, 1999)

There are many cases where the individuals have destroyed well-made lives in the quest to re-discover themselves but have ended up in a disastrous state. The mid-life career change transition is stressful whether the end result is positive or negative. But the dimensions of negativity and positivity are different for different people. Individuals may be losing the worldly status in search of this quest but a better self- understanding is more peaceful than anything else. If an average is calculated it can be safely said that there are about fifteen to twenty developments in one’s life which can push a person into this crisis situation. Work is a major part of life and as mentioned before major source of stressor. If one is happy at work it can reconcile better with his inner self in his quest for self-evaluation. But if that is not there then the career change at mid-life has its long lasting repercussions.

But as Maslow (1968) puts it the self-actualization and the spiritual age cannot come without the other needs being met. It is not only dependent on the midlife but at the stage where people climb the ladder of the hierarchy of their needs. (Maslow 1968)

We can conclude from the discussion above that the perception at the mid life stage changes and thus frustration increases and a person is less willing to compromise on values. Career change at this stage in life is most terrifying people but if we look at the figures we see that that most dramatic of the career changes occur at this stage in life which further strengthens the argument of self and personal development. Career change at this stage has become more of a norm because of the reason that when a person first chooses his career, his wishes and ideologies are different from what they are at the mid life phase (Gazley, 2004)

There are many stages of a career, but they too are dependent on the individual, the environment. Whenever a change occurs in the environment it is also dependent on the individual to recognize those opportunities that he can avail for himself. Attitudes are also responsible in availing those opportunities. But once a person makes a choice for himself he is often apprises himself in order to identify the gap. When a career change is made at midlife, it is generally seen that it is undertaken to avail opportunities that are more dependent on self rather than the environment.

A career change at this stage is not only undertaken solely for this reason but rather it is the result of complicated chain of events, which also interweave the human interrelationships. The experience that an individual goes through is difficult and it is rightly said “one cannot become a butterfly by remaining a caterpillar."(Simmermann, 1999).

Career change at mid life is no doubt stressful but there are several ways to transform the negative into positive thinking that is important to the very purpose of self-quest. The world of information has expanded tremendously since the evolution of Internet by making it possible to access all the related material to understand a topic. Taking some personality tests can also help self-evaluation, which is the core reason of the career change many a time in mid life. But at this point in time, the reasons for change have to be properly evaluated and understood so that the growth is augmented, rather than being oppressive. It is hard to give up the known for the unknown but it has proven again and again that it’s the untested waters that lead to the voyage of discovery. It is the evaluation of the tradeoff and the main cause of stress that manifests itself in many forms either knowingly or unknowingly (Ostrow, 2004)

The quest is not only of career change but also the changes that come along with that for example to get the right kind of education so that the move could be made. The fear of the transition, the shifting of the comfort zone, the reactions of the conforming circle and families, responsibilities, times and opportunities all tend to influence the decision and influence the decision making process. It is not possible for an individual to go through the phase all alone there has to be some kind of support available, which can be in form such as emotional or spiritual.

The ability to take help and understand one’s self in the relative environment is important in the development of this stage of life. (Ostrow, 2004)

After understanding the developmental issues of the stage and the stresses of career change, a question in the mind is of the crisis itself? Whether this phase should be termed as crisis or a quest? If we start answering the question a debate can be generated. But all in all we can safely say that ramifications of the career change are immense can be understood and can be termed as the tools of self-improvement if taken in the right direction. Johann Hendrikse, (qt. Atkinson 2004) an industrial psychologist, explains this very thing in an example:

“First you smell the smoke and then you see the flames begin to feel uncomfortable. You look around and start weighing up the dangers of jumping into the sea against staying on the rig. You think about the sharks and drowning and the long swim ahead of you, so you stay on the rig. Finally, you realize the rig is about to explode and you have no choice. You have to jump –and, once you've jumped, you have to swim until you reach the shore.

"It's the same with any life change,”. "You reach such a level of discomfort that you're simply forced to do something about it. Once you start on the journey to your new career, you keep going –because you have to." (Atkinson 2004)
Nathanson (2004) terms this career change as vocational passion, once the job you are working on does not provide the drive, the passion is lost. The drive to work comes from many sources, which can include any number of reasons at one time, such as interest, challenge, money or any other. But as long as the drive and reason are there to support the cause a career would continue to provide intrinsic satisfaction. The day that drive is lost, the will to survive and live would shatter. For this reason, this drive needs other channel that can be achieved in the form of career change. (Nathanson, 2004)

Stresses of life, career change, and midlife can all be amalgamated to give a better understanding and self-concept. But all this is not possible without going through all the stages of the need for change at this stage in life and as to why the career change would facilitate it.
All in all the meaning of life and the career change associated with the opportunity is more important in the midlife phase, as the gap between the present realities and the dream we once had is realized.

The quest of the mankind has always been to realize the true potential and happiness that our work can offer to us in our life times. Hence the significance of the title renders itself with immense possibilities amalgamating life and its meaning.

References

Atkinson, R. (Accessed on 19-10-2004). Midlife: The Crisis Reconsidered. Center for the Study of Lives from the University of Southern Maine, Online version is available at http://www.usm.maine.edu/~atkinson/midlife.htm
Bhattia, M. (20th August 2003). Just a Thought: The phases of life and social roles.
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Levinson, D. J., Darrow, C. N., Klein, E. B., Levinson, M. H., & McKee, B. (1978). The seasons of a man's life. New York: Ballantine Books.
Maslow, A. (1968). Toward a Psychology of Being, D. Van Nostrand Company, Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 68-30757
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Williams, D. (January, 1999). Life events and career change: transition psychology in practice. British Psychological Society’s Occupational Psychology Conference.