Mid-life Crisis: Growth or Stagnation.

Mid-life has developmental stages and particular tasks that must be successfully completed for growth to continue and psychological stagnation to be avoided. Characteristic of different phases of mid-life are three stages of ego mastery: alloplastic mastery is associated with early adulthood, autoplastic mastery is associated with maturity, and omniplastic mastery is found in old age. A special perspective on one's life and a need to examine one's life are found in mid-life. Difficulties can occur in dealing with this phase and the family physician can be of significant help to his patients who are working through the mid-life crisis.