Midlife crisis stages

by Mariana Millares
(Melbourne, Australia)

The Question

My husband, 39 years old, is going through a midlife crisis.

I've been researching as much as I can, trying to understand what is happening to him and to give myself the chance to make decisions for me, with as much information as possible. I think this is a fair idea so as to not feel regret or guilt in the future.

Something that I haven't found is whether a midlife crisis follows specific stages, as it does seem to be characterized by specific thoughts and behaviours towards others.

Can you give me a lead as to where find this information?
Cheers

Noel's response

I am not sure that a midlife crisis follows certain stages. It often starts with feeling empty, numb, and losing interest in things one used to be passionate about. But other than that, it just takes its course, and eventually the meaning comes back into one's life.

I have never seen a description of stage of midlife transition, other than the stages of any transition, which are well described in William Bridges book The Way of Transition