The Middle Age Endurance - 1317 Words

Carter, Jennifer , M.Ed. Developmental Psychology 5 July 2015 Humanity s ‘Middle-Age’ Endurance ‘Middle-age’ is the term used to describe the time in an adult’s life between the ages of 45 and 65. More importantly, middle-age is an adult developmental stage. It is a time in which the adult body, and mind go through a series of changes physiologically, mentally, and emotionally. During their middle-age years, adults will exhibit signs of aging such as hair loss, gray hair, and skin losing its elasticity. Middle-age is also characterized by weight gain, and loss of physical strength. Navigating this time period is like navigating an emotional and mental minefield. This is because the effects of middle-age can have such powerful†¦show more content†¦In the United States, unhappiness peaks at around age 40 for women and 50 for men. They found the same U-shape in happiness levels and life satisfaction by age for people living in 72 countries,† (2008). The impact middle-age has on healthy living cannot be underestimated. In a presentation on ‘Physical Development in Middle Adulthood,’ Isaac Nathan lists six effects of cultural differences on healthy living during middle-age; isolation, poverty, cultures in which men are the dominant sex, religion, language, and cultural habits, (2013). Again, middle-age is not biased toward men or women, and does not favor one culture over another. Middle-aged adults who find themselves caring for aging parents, while at the same time raising their own families are referred to as the ‘sandwich generation.’ According to Carol Abaya, M.A., a nationally recognized expert on the subject of the sandwich generation, the above describes the ‘Traditional Sandwich’ definition of sandwich generation. The second classification, ‘The Club Sandwich,’ represents those who are of middle-age, care for an elderly parent, their own children, and grandchildren, or those in their 30 or 40’s with young children, aging parents, and grandparents. The third classification is the ‘Open Face Sandwich,’ a term meaning anyone else involved in elder care. Abaya writes, â€Å"Being a Sandwich Generationer - an elder/parent caregiver - is a new role on the stage of