Is there really such a thing as a midlife crisis - a true crisis in a person's life that happens in midlife? Yes, there is. But fortunately for most of us, it is a fairly rare event. Unlike the midlife crisis, a midlife transition is a quasi-universal reaction to the major changes that take place in midlife, mentally, physically, and in relationships. This book describes the powerful, dynamic forces that underlie both the midlife crisis and midlife transition, and provides, through clinical case material, a detailed description of each.

With expertise, understanding and empathy, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Calvin Colarusso, M.D., uses his 50 years of experience of working with midlife individuals to explain this hackneyed, but real, crisis in plain English for the general public.

Think of this book as a way to calmly navigate through the turbulent waters of midlife without experiencing a true midlife crisis or a particularly difficult midlife transition; and to understand the often-times puzzling behavior of those you know and love.

Midlife Crisis: Middle Aged Myth or Reality? contains:

• A definition of a midlife crisis
• A definition of a midlife transition
• An understanding of the dynamics underlying both the midlife crisis and transition
• A description of midlife physical and psychological challenges
• Information about the changing attitude toward birthdays across the life cycle
• A detailed clinical example of a midlife transition
• A description of the Gauguin syndrome
• Two detailed descriptions of midlife crises

About the author, Calvin Colarusso, M.D.: An eminent authority in the field of adult development, Dr. Colarusso is a board certified clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California at San Diego. He is also a training and supervising analyst in child and adult psychoanalysis at the San Diego Psychoanalytic Institute and an internationally known lecturer to students, professionals, teachers and the general public on many aspects of childhood and adulthood. His books have been published in English, Korean, and Spanish. See www.calbooks.info.