Mid-Life Crisis and It's Related Variables

중년기 위기감 및 그 관련 변인에 관한 연구 -서울시 남성과 여성을 중심으로-

The purpose of this study is to clarify the definition of middle age, to compare the different perspectives about mid-life crisis, and to identify the variables that cause the mid-life crisis of men and women.. For this purpose reviewing literatures and emprical research were conducted. For the emprical research, Mid-life Crisis Scale, Mid-life Indentity Scale, Family Relation Scale. Health Scale and Religious Scale were developed. The Sample was selected form the men and women living in Seoul, whose age is from 40 to 59 , and whose last child is older than 13 years of age. Among 820 respondents 218 men and 442 women were finally selected as datum sources. The data were analyzed by the statistical method such as the factor analysis frequency distribution, percentile, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation and regression analysis. The main results were as follows; 1) Men and women experience mid-life crisis some extent. The mid-life crisis score for men is 33.60 and 35.0 for women. This implies women reveal significantly higher crisis than men. As for women's mid-life crisis. self-awaring age, education, income, husband's occupation, employment status of wife and occupational status of wife have a significant influence Expecially employment status of wife seemed to interact with sex, husband's occupation and educational level of wife. however status of child, family pattern, son's existence are not as important an influence on mid-life crisis. 3) Among the psychological variables, work identity and physical identity have the strong influence on the mid-life crisis of men and women, It implies that mid-life crisis si lower when one has higher work identity and physical identity. 4) Mid -life crisis of men and women is influenced significantly according to family relation variables and health variables. It reveals that the better one's family relations and health sate, the lower one's mid-life crisis is. However menopause and the years after menopause do not influence on the mid-life crisis of women. 5) Mid-life crisis of women differs significantly according to the kind of religion and religious activity. That is mid-life crisis of women is lower when she believes in Protestantism and Catholicism and participate in more religious activity. Mid-life crisis of men is not significantly influenced by religious variables. After all among the five categories of variables that related to mid-life crisis, psychological variables-especially work identity and physical identity are observed to have the strongest degree of significance.