Midlife Crisis - Erik Erikson

Erik Erikson was one of the first developmental psychologists to introduce the concept that the identity of a person and their interpersonal attitudes are continually evolving all the way from birth until death. Erikson proposed eight stages of development, each of which predicted the interactions an individual would experience within their social environment. Contrary to Freud whose stages concluded after childhood, Erikson added three stages of development that expanded into adulthood. These three stages are categorized based on the types of life tasks that become most prevailing to individuals as they find themselves fully matured and coming to terms with the fact that this is the only life they have to live. Individuals often find themselves at a crisis during adulthood, as they question their own life’s purpose. Several movies take a comedic approach to depict this life stage, commonly referring to it as the “midlife crisis”.  One such film, This Is 40, tells the story of Debbie and Pete, an upper-middle-class married couple on the verge of turning forty, a number that signifies a momentous point to them in middle-age. Debbie, especially, seems to be taking it the hardest as she lies about her age on her birthday cake and even to her doctors. The film, directed by Judd Apatow, captures several of the key concepts individuals struggle with in their marriage and the difficulties of getting older.

In literature there is a general accord as to the paramount changes, conflicts, and tasks that are characteristic of this transitional stage in life. The term “midlife crisis” is often used to signify the time in one’s life where they come to terms with the realization of their mortality. (Becker, 2006) The name of this stage according to Erikson is generativity vs. stagnation, where the overall theme is reexamining one’s life. To successfully resolve the conflict at this stage, one must feel a sense of satisfaction that they have made a meaningful contribution to future generations. (Broderick & Blewitt, 2014) Here, individuals tend to review their relationships, career, and general direction in which their life is heading. One of the most valuable adaptations individuals can make is to establish and maintain close interpersonal relationships. Throughout the film This Is 40, Pete and Debbie both show discontent in their marriage, mainly due to perpetual communication issues. There is little to no effective communication, they no longer interest one another, and most prevailing, any attraction between the two has subsided. This is common at this stage of life as marriages change with partners aging and the fluctuation of high demands that come and go. While some women experience enhanced self-esteem and self-acceptance during this time, others believe that they have lost their youthful appeal. (Lippert, 1997) Debbie fears that she is no longer attractive and Pete worries that he is underperforming in all aspects of his life, especially sexually. Pete admits to his wife that he takes medication in order perform better sexually, which is detrimental to her self-esteem. To address this, they each try working on their physical appearance by dieting, exercising, and quitting smoking with the hopes to regain the passion they once had. Typically, crisis emerges in this area of life when one fails to redefine partners in terms of their personality as opposed to seeing them solely as sexual partners. (Weaver, 2009) The decrease in sexual activity in the film is seen to be a direct result of a lack of interest by both parties, in addition too, emotional and physical barriers. Even though happiness and intimate relationships are a better predictor of overall well-being than other areas such as work (Maykel, 2017), the stress that work and child-raising place on the couple is causation for majority of their fights.