Overview

The midlife crisis has become a cliche in modern society. Since the mid-twentieth century, the term has been used to explain infidelity in middle-aged men, disillusionment with personal achievements, the pain and sadness associated with separation and divorce, and the fear of approaching death. This book provides a meticulously researched account of the social and cultural conditions in which middle-aged men and women began to re-evaluate their hopes and dreams, reassess their relationships, and seek new forms of identity and fresh pathways to self-satisfaction. Drawing on a rich seam of literary, medical, media and cinematic sources, as well as personal accounts, it explores how the crises of middle-aged men and women were shaped by increased life expectancy, changing family structures, shifting patterns of work, and the rise of individualism.

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9781789143959

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Medical historian Jackson examines in this thought-provoking scholarly study the social and cultural factors that made the midlife crisis 'a key feature of private lives and public debate in the mid-twentieth century. . . . Jackson's expansive range and nuanced readings of popular culture more than make his case. This is a pinpoint dissection of an influential if slippery concept. -- Publishers Weekly

Author Information

Mark Jackson is Professor of the History of Medicine and Director of the Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health at the University of Exeter. His books include Allergy: The History of a Modern Malady Reaktion Books, 2006) and The Age of Stress: Science and the Search for Stability (2013).

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