Canadian psychologist Elliott Jaques coined the phrase “midlife crisis” 55 years ago, which means the term itself is poised for a wobble of its own. It’s certainly the case that midlife crises today are more a subject of ridicule than serious psychological enquiry—they are an all-singing, all-dancing popular culture trope. As in films such as Sideways, Lost in Translation and American Beauty, when we visualize a midlife crisis, we see a middle-aged man confronting his swiftly vanishing youth, the looming inevitability of death and his perceived lack of achievements by making drastic changes to his life. He often responds by attempting to change the course of past decisions and striving to reclaim his youth—perhaps by quitting a serious job to pursue a dream, buying a flashy car and fashionable This story is from Kinfolk Issue Thirty-Nine Buy Now Related Stories Arts & Culture Issue 39 Note to Self What advice would you give your younger self? An artist, a writer, a conductor, a curator, a rabbi and a robot pen missives to the past. Arts & Culture Issue 39 Nic Stone How can a young adult fiction author tackle racism, inequality and incarceration—but not rob teen readers of their optimism? Arts & Culture Issue 39 Learn Lenience We were all young once. Arts & Culture Issue 39 Pay it Forward How to be a mentor. Arts & Culture Issue 39 Be Accountable On youth and responsibility. Arts & Culture Issue 39 Think Back A reexamination of nostalgia.
Arts & Culture Issue 39 Note to Self What advice would you give your younger self? An artist, a writer, a conductor, a curator, a rabbi and a robot pen missives to the past.
Arts & Culture Issue 39 Nic Stone How can a young adult fiction author tackle racism, inequality and incarceration—but not rob teen readers of their optimism?
