Life Transitions of Women in Their 50s-60's - Research Paper Example

The physiological change, as well as the psychological effect brought about by menopause together with post parental experience, retirement and changing roles of women, can be better understood if taken together with the women’s context, family and social relations, career, society, gender, traditions, norms and the subjective individual attitude, personality and self-perception. As a counselor, the issue challenges me to take an extra care in not boxing women within the frame of theoretical assumptions but in understanding their paradigm within in their unique experience and context.

Women’s lives are often understood neither from a distance nor from the pedestal, rather via the narratives of their experiences and their lived lives. In this way, women’s lives are made more concrete and no longer relegated in the periphery of the human story. However, as one looks into the title of this research, one immediately gets the gargantuan tasks ahead. This claim is based on the supposition that the research intends to delve into the combination of three important notions, namely, middle life, life transition, women and life.

Individually considered, these notions are deemed as complex (Elder, 1994; Levinson, 1986; Lachman, 2004; Young, 1980). Complex since lifespan in adult development is considered as still in its neophyte stage. Since if compared with early lifespan, less attention, and studies have been conducted regarding this subject matter (Levinson, 1986; Elder, 1994). While, on the middle life on the hand, is perceived as a fluid concept that is not just defined by biological age which is normally set “between 40 – 64” (Levinson, 1986, p 5) but is influenced and affected by various factors such as tradition, culture, ethnicity, gender, society, norms and individual subjective personality, attitude and self –perception.

All of these combines contribute in setting the parameters of what may be considered as middle life (Lachman, 2004).