ABSTRACT
In the unstable life pattern, the life structure remains insecure and in flux throughout the entire settling-down period (age thirty-three to forty). A man whose life assumes this pattern does not actively seek or welcome this instability, and feels that at this stage in his life it is inappropriate. If stability was acceptable in the middle twenties (“entering the adult world”), it is no longer acceptable either to him or to those who may depend on him for support. Typically, a variety of external circumstances and internal problems prevent him from achieving stability, with the very complexity and variety of these factors making it all the more difficult to overcome the instability. Recognizing their need to settle down by solidifying their life structure, men who fall into this group have great difficulty in carrying through on this need, and generally experience much frustration and unhappiness because of this failure.
