Levinson's Theories of Life Structure, Life Eras, and Transitions for Men

Age-30 transition (ages 28 to 33).

During this phase, men take another look at their lives. They may review whether the commitments made during the previous decade were premature, or they may consider making strong commitments for the first time. Some men move fairly effortlessly through this transition. Others experience crises in which they decide their present life structures are intolerable, yet they have grave difficulty in formulating better ones. Marriage conflicts may erupt during this phase, and divorce is common. Work responsibilities may shift as the man is promoted, changes jobs, or settles into his job after a period of uncertainty. Some men seek counseling to help clarify their goals.

Early adult transition (ages 17 to 22).

During this transition (which may take three to five years), men move from preadulthood into adulthood. A person moves out of his or her parents' home and becomes more financially and emotionally independent. Going to college or joining the military service serves as a transitional institutional situation between being a child in a family and reaching full adult status.

Entry life structure for middle adulthood (ages 45 to 50).

During this transition, a man in his mid-40s begins a life structure that may involve new choices: perhaps a new wife or a different way of relating to his wife, or perhaps a new career or a restructuring of his present work. The most successful people often find middle age to be the most gratifying and creative time of life as they use opportunities that arise to allow new facets of their personalities to flower. Those who are unsuccessful in resolving the tasks of midlife lead a constricted life, or they keep busy in an organized but unfulfilling lifestyle.

Late adult transition (ages 60 to 65).

This is a major transitional turning point, as it is a time for ending middle age and preparing for late adulthood

Entry life structure for early adulthood (ages 22 to 28).

This phase has been called "entering the adult world." During this phase, a young person becomes an adult and builds the entry life structure for early adulthood. Aspects of this phase often include: involvement with work, which may lead to a career choice; intimate relationships with others, which may lead to marriage and children; choosing a home; involvement with social and civic groups; and relationships with family and friends. Two important features of this phase are a dream and a mentor.

Culminating life structure for middle adulthood (ages 55 to 60).

This phase is generally a stable transition in which men finish the framework of their life structure for middle adulthood. During this phase, those who are able to rejuvenate themselves enrich their lives and generally find the 50s a time period of great fulfillment.

Culminating life structure for early adulthood (ages 33 to 40).

This phase is ushered in by a period of "settling down." The person makes a concerted effort to realize youthful dreams. The apprenticeship is over. During this phase, men make deeper commitments to family, work, and other important aspects of their lives. They set specific goals for themselves (such as a certain level of income and moving into their own house) with a set timetable. They work at finding a niche in society by anchoring their lives in terms of career, family, and community involvement. They also work on advancing themselves to build a better life, become more creative, improve their skills, and so on. In the middle to late 30s, toward the end of the settling-down period, comes a phase called "becoming one's own man" (BOOM). During BOOM, a man often becomes independent of his mentor and may be at odds with his wife, boss, children, friends, lover, or coworkers. During this phase, a man chafes under the authority of those who have power and influence over him, and seeks to break away and speak with his own voice. However, he also fears a loss of respect from significant others during this period.

Midlife transition (ages 40 to 45).

This transition is focused on completing the work of early adulthood while learning the ropes of middle adulthood. Similar to all other transitional periods, this transition is both an ending and a beginning. During this period, men (now more acutely aware of their mortality) question nearly every aspect of their lives. Many men find this is a time of moderate or severe crisis. People in this stage undergo a midlife reappraisal that often involves emotional turmoil. Previous values are reviewed. Such a review is often healthy; through examining the choices that they made early in life, they have the opportunity to focus on aspects of themselves that may have been neglected. Those who successfully negotiate this phase come to terms with the dreams of their youth and emerge with a more realistic view of themselves. 472473Many men at this stage experience a midlife crisis

Age-50 transition (ages 50 to 55).

This transition is likely to be an especially difficult time for men whose midlife transition has been relatively smooth. Most men experience a moderate crisis at this time. It is another time at which men review where they have come from, and make plans for where they are heading.

Early adulthood (age 17 to age 45)

is the era in which people make choices that significantly influence their lives, and the era in which people display the greatest energy and experience the most stress.

Middle adulthood (age 40 to age 65)

is the era in which people tend to have reduced biological capacities but increased social responsibilities

Late adulthood (age 60 and beyond

is the final phase of life.

Preadulthood (birth to age 22)

is the formative time from conception to the end of adolescence