ABSTRACT
The Kansas City studies on adult life conducted between 1954 and 1964 concluded that midlife was a time of peak performance in psychological and social competencies. People can help themselves by making conscious attempts to create a better balance between professional and personal life. Women in midlife have many additional challenges to balance work with increasing responsibilities for children and ageing family members. Midlife is a period of emotional calm and stability for the vast majority with most relationships secure, people enjoying good health and many having secured financial security. Life reviews in midlife motivate the desire for change. Arriving at midlife, many men and women also ask deeper questions about the meaning of life and personal identity. Research supports the idea that relatively few people experience the emotional turmoil of a midlife crisis. As in every season of life, the conditions of midlife involve some gains and positive experiences balanced with losses.
