The existential necessity of midlife change.

The existential necessity of midlife change. Research Abstract Details 

Research Abstract Table of Contents

Jump to the:

The existential necessity of midlife change. Abstract Text:

Carlo Strenger,Arie Ruttenberg,

As life expectancy in the West increases and companies can no longer promise lifelong security, many businesspeople will need to make major changes during middle age, embarking on a second life and a second career. They must start by getting beyond two pervasive and opposing myths. The first is that midlife marks the onset of decline. Problems do arise during middle age--concerns about health and finances, for instance--but one's life force does not expire at 65, nor do possibilities vanish. In fact, by middle age, most executives have gained a freedom that only self-knowledge can impart, and they relish unprecedented opportunities for personal growth. Midlife transitions, however, must be rooted in realism, not driven by the second myth, which paints middle age as a time of magical transformation. Contrary to what self-help books and inspirational speakers proclaim, such transformations do not happen. A 50-year-old with little musical training, for instance, will not suddenly become a concert pianist. People who buy into this myth find that their inevitable disappointment can be debilitating. Paradoxically, the doctrine that aims to encourage change actually stifles it. To make successful transitions, executives must stay open to the possibilities their experience qualifies them for but remain realistic about what they can achieve. For companies, employees' midlife transitions represent both a challenge (senior managers seemingly on track to become CEO may instead leave) and an opportunity (other midlife executives, with different perspectives and experiences, may knock on the door). Organizations must help middle-aged executives through this difficult period, not just by offering a workshop or two but by providing ongoing coaching and opportunities for personal and professional development.

The existential necessity of midlife change. Publishing Authors By Initials

C Strenger,A Ruttenberg,

For similar abstracts research abstracts see: abstracts research

PUBMED ID PMID:

MEDLINE DATE:

The existential necessity of midlife change. Journal Published:

PUBLICATION TYPE: Journal Article

Journal: Harvard business review

VOLUME: 86

Page Numbers: 82-90, 137

Journal Abbreviation:

ISSN: 0017-8012

DAY: 4

MONTH: Feb

YEAR: 2008

The existential necessity of midlife change. Information

Number of References:

LANGUAGE: eng

NlmUniqueID: 9875796

The existential necessity of midlife change. Keywords Mesh Terms:

KEYWORDS:

MESH TERMS:

Chemical & Substance for Abstract: The existential necessity of midlife change. Information

Substance Name:

Registry Number:

Grant and Affiliation Information for The existential necessity of midlife change.

AFFILIATION: Tel Aviv University, Israel. strenger@freud.tau.ac.il

Country: United States

AGENCY:

GRANT:

ACRONYM:

MEDLINETA: Harv Bus Rev

REFSOURCE:

DATABASENAME:

ACCESSION NUMBER:

Number Hits: 0

The existential necessity of midlife change Related Publications

• Factors associated with stroke following the Fontan procedure.
• Pre- and postoperative exercise testing of the child with coarctation of the aorta.
• Surgical treatment of patent ductus arteriosus in preterm infants. Four-year experience with ligation in the newborn intensive care unit.
• THE INSOLUBLE PROTEINS OF BOVINE CRYSTALLINE LENS.
• The existential necessity of midlife change.
• [Delirium and ecstasy. The phenomenon of toxic ecstasy in young men]