Respond to two colleagues by respectfully agreeing or disagreeing with their c

 
Respond to two colleagues by respectfully agreeing or disagreeing with their characterization of a midlife crisis. Also offer additional insight about how social workers can help people through midlife crises.
Use the Learning Resources to support your posts. Make sure to provide APA citations and a reference list.
1 JEN:  
Describe of the characteristics/features of a midlife crisis, including the different experiences in terms of gender. Explain how biology intersects with psychology and social factors in this phenomenon, and provide an example.
A midlife crisis is characterized as menopause in females and male climacteric in males.  For women this time is when a woman stops menstruating and can no longer have children. During this time women can have hot flashes, they can develop depression, anxiety, and feelings of low self-worth and lack of fulfilment.  Some women will seek hormone replacement therapy to help with some of these symptoms, this is somewhat controversial due to the risks such as stroke, heart attacks, breast cancer and strokes.
For men, male climacteric, can occur in males between 35 and 50 years old. During this time a man will reevaluate their lives, they may rethink being married or having families (Zastrow et al 2019).   Some men will suffer from sexual dysfunction, depression, decreased memory, etc.  Men may feel as though they have not had a fulfilling life and may seek younger women that make them feel young again.
Then, explain how you as a social worker could help a person navigate a midlife crisis.
As a social worker I would work with my client to find out what their symptoms are and why they feel they are in a midlife crisis (Piotrowski et al 2019) .  I would then assess which symptoms are causing the most stress, what they are looking to achieve with therapy, and help them to process this change and ways to cope.  I would encourage my client to seek out things that can help manage the stresses that they are feeling and create different coping skills to help them navigate what they are feeling.
References:
Piotrowski, N. A., & Prest, L. A. (2019). Midlife crisis. Links to an external site. In B. C. Auday, M. A. Buratovich, G. F. Marrocco, & P. Moglia (Eds.). Magill’s medical guide (8th ed.). Salem Press.
Zastrow, C. H., Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hessenauer, S. L. (2019). Understanding human behavior and the social environment (11th ed.). Cengage Learning.
2 MEG:  
Characteristics of a “Midlife Crisis”
Daniel Levinson views midlife as a crisis, that a middle- aged adult is suspended between the past and the future. (Zastrow et al., 2019) A midlife crisis can be defined as period of self-reflection and questioning that arises during the transition from early to later adulthood. It can involve emotional, physical, spiritual and relationship crises. it is important to remember that not all individuals who experience a midlife crisis experience it in the same way or at all.  Some individuals do not experience a crisis in midlife and navigate this developmental stage with a sense of growth, stability, and contentment. For those that do experience a crisis in midlife, it can arise in response to a variety of factors including physical and developmental changes as well as a response to a variety of stressors. Some characteristics associated with midlife crises include self-reflection, a desire for change, dissatisfaction, regret, relationship changes, and focus on physical appearance to name a few. (Piotrowski et al., 2019). Consideration is necessary when making general statements about midlife crises, but it is assumed that midlife crises, however varied in form, intensity, or duration, do commonly occur. (Piotrowski et al., 2019) Not only do individuals experience a midlife crisis in variety of ways, but there may also be differences in those experiences in terms of gender. For example, in this stage of transition, men may be more acutely aware of their mortality. Men find this a time of moderate to severe crisis. Previous values are reviewed, examination of choices in early life are explored, and they can focus on aspects of themselves that they may have neglected. (Zastrow et al., 2019) Women can experience similar worries. One common midlife example in women is menopause and its consequent hormonal changes. Along with the physical stresses brought about by hormonal changes, the psychological and emotional reactions of each woman to this normal transition vary depending on her lifestyle, attitudes, self-image, and network of supportive relationships. This can contribute to experiencing a midlife crisis.
Symptoms
Symptoms include an anxious or depressed mood, loss of interest in normal activities, an intensified re-evaluation of life (both past and future), sudden changes in relationships, difficulty with organic processes (such as sleeping, eating, and concentration), and a subjective feeling of the need for a change. In addition, people who have less social support or who are living a lifestyle that they have long been aware was unfulfilling are more likely to experience a more significant crisis. (Piotrowski et al., 2019).
Treatment
When working with an individual who may be experiencing a midlife crisis there are a variety of techniques and treatments that may be beneficial. First it is essential to assess and establish goals with the individual and based on those goals work in collaboration and support them. For example, based on goals, encouraging the individual (if capable) to get more exercise, studies show that interventions focused on promoting physical activity and engagement in midlife promise to help people reach old age healthier, reduce the trends of increasing chronic illness and poor health. (Infurna et al., 2020) Improving mental health through social support and engagement and encouraging individuals to seek professional mental health supports such as psychotherapy, mindfulness-based therapy, or art therapy when/if necessary, depending on the symptoms and severity of those symptoms are ways in which a social worker can help individuals mitigate some of the negative impacts of a midlife crisis. Additionally, encouraging self-care and self-compassion can also be beneficial.
References
Infurna, F. J., Gerstorf, D., & Lachman, M. E. (2020). Midlife in the 2020s: Opportunities and challenges. The American psychologist, 75(4), 470–485. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000591
Piotrowski, N. A., & Prest, L. A. (2019). Midlife crisis. In B. C. Auday, M. A. Buratovich, G. F. Marrocco, & P. Moglia (Eds.). Magill’s medical guide (8th ed.). Salem Press.
Zastrow, C. H., Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hessenauer, S. L. (2019). Understanding human behavior and the social environment (11th ed.). Cengage Learning.