<P> The term was coined by Elliott Jaques in 1965 . More modern research has shown this is not a phase that most middle - aged people actually experience, and some have questioned the existence of this phenomenon . </P> <P> Academic research since the 1980s rejects the notion of mid-life crisis as a phase that most adults go through . Personality type and a history of psychological crisis are believed to predispose some people to this "traditional" midlife crisis . People going through this suffer a variety of symptoms and exhibit a disparate range of behaviors . </P> <P> It is important to understand the difference between a mid-life crisis and a mid-life stressor . Mid-life is the time from years 45--64 where a person is often evaluating his or her own life . However, many mid-life stressors are often labeled as a mid-life crisis . Day - to - day stressors are likely to add up and be thought of as a crisis, but in reality, it is simply an "overload". Both women and men often experience multiple stressors because of their simultaneous roles as wives / husbands, mothers / fathers, employees, daughters / sons, etc . </P> <P> Many middle - aged adults experience major life events that can cause a period of psychological stress or depression, such as the death of a loved one, or a career setback . However, those events could have happened earlier or later in life, making them a "crisis," but not necessarily a mid-life one . In the same study, 15% of middle - aged adults experienced this type of midlife turmoil . Being of a lower educational status is related to feeling stressors to a greater degree than those of a higher education level during midlife . </P>

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