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Divorce
 Currently in the United States, as many as 50% of all marriages end in divorce, with a fourth of all divorces occurring within the first four years. The divorce rate in the United States has increased significantly since the 1940s,when approximately one in five marriages failed [(Fisher, 1987; United States Board of the Census, 1998). This increase may be the result of several factors, including less stringent legal requirements for divorce (such as the so-called "no fault" divorce laws) and lower expectations about the likelihood of marital success ][(Nekonezy and others, 1995). In the 1940s, the reasons for divorce that were reported most often were cruelty, alcoholism, or failure to provide financial support ][(Goode, 1956). More recently, the reasons cited for divorce are most likely to be communication problems, general unhappiness, or simple incompatibility][ (Cleek & Pearson, 1985).
]Divorce is less of a discrete event than it is a transition to new social circumstances: new living arrangements, new income levels, new housing, and new relationships. A divorce is reported as being almost as stressful as the death of a spouse, and feelings of anger, loneliness, and betrayal can continue to be felt for five to ten years after the actual breakup occurs [(Nock, 1981; Wallenstein & Blakeslee, 1989). However, 80% of those who get divorced remain convinced that they made the right decision ][(Wallenstein & Kelly, 1980).
]Changes in the "Middle" Ages
There is no definitive rule, but many people in the United States seem to feel that the chapter of life known as "middle age" opens sometime after the age of 40. It has been suggested that the transition to mid-life will often trigger profound psychological changes in individuals, causing them to review their lives and reappraise their future plans [(Levinson, 1978). These changes have been popularly described as the mid-life crisis, a period during which middle-aged adults are supposedly prone to depression and anxiety about the future, and may even be expected to undergo personality changes to some degree ][(Beck, 1992).
] |  | However, most systematic studies of people in middle adulthood indicate that a mid-life crisis is not an inevitable stage of adult development. Certainly, there are many significant life events that can occur during this period, including career changes, divorce, illnesses, facing an "empty nest" as grown children leave the home, and other changes. People may experience these events as stressful and disturbing, especially if they are unexpected, but as with any stressor, there is great variability in terms of how individuals will respond. There does not appear to be set of predictable mid-life crisis behaviors [(Farrell & Rosenberg, 1981; Myers, 1998; Shek, 1996) and overall, there are no unusual surges in mental illness, alcoholism, or other pathological behavior in mid-life ][(Kruger, 1994). Additionally, investigators tend to find remarkable stability in basic personality traits among adults, with little evidence of any dramatic upheavals during middle adulthood ][(Costa & Macrae, 1988).] |
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