Seasons Of A Mans Life Essay Example For Students

Seasons Of A Mans Life Essay Daniel J. Levinson wrote The Seasons of A Mans Life. Mr. Levinson conducted his research for the book in the late 1960s. At that time he was a Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry of the Yale University School of Medicine, Director of Psychology in the Connecticut Mental Health Center and Director of the Research Unit for Social Psychology and Psychiatry. Early in the book, Mr. Levinson states his reasons for engaging in theresearch of male adult development and for ultimately writing thebook. The choice of topic reflected a personal concern: at 46, I wanted to study the transition into middle age in order to understand what I had been going through myself. Over the previous ten years of my life had changed incrucial ways; I had developed in a sense I could not articulate. The studywould cast light on my own experience and, I hoped, contribute to an understanding of adult development in general.The book is completely about Levinsons theory of male adult development. Levinson acquired his research by interviewing 40 men between the ages of 35 and 45 from four different occupational groups. Through his interviews, Levinson believed that all males pass through aseries of stages, each of which presents a different problem to be solved. The first stage is known as the early adult transition (ages 17-22). The problem is to develop a sense of independence by separating from ones family and trying out different lifestyles. This is the stage where hopes and dreams are formulated. The next stage is entering the adult world (ages 22-28). The problemat this stage is to explore and obtain the many adult roles that are needed tobe happy and successful in ones career and relationships. A set of priorities begin to form. The age-thirty transition (ages 28-33) happens next. In this stage theman establishes his role in society, builds a nest, and pursues more long-range plans and goals. His problem may be evaluating earlier career choicesand goals. Immediately following the age-thirty transition is the settling downstage (ages 33-40). The problem here is to develop a sense of success in themajor areas of ones life, primarily ones career and relationships. The mid-life transition (early 40s) begins next. The problem here is to evaluate ones life goals and commitments, knowing that there is only a limited amount of time to reach them. The feeling that time is running out may contribute to what is often called the mid-life crisis. Lastly, entering middle adulthood (middle 40s). Here the problem islearning to live with previous decisions, such as by becoming morecommitted to ones family or career. I feel that the book was written very well. It went in-depth inmapping out the stages and the events in each one of the stages. I couldrelate to some but most I could not since Levinson limited his research toonly males. I am a female and only 22 so I have just barely entered into the early adult era. Looking at older males around me I can see some of what Levinson has stated to be true, however, I just dont believe that every maleis going to go through the life stages just as he says. I think that for the time when this book was written, Levinson probably did a great job in describing the stages. Most of the men that he interviewed were born before and duringthe Depression. What was true for the men that were interviewed may notbe true for todays 40-year-olds. By reading this book I can atbest say that I have a more complete understanding of male adult development. .uf38f47eff3192f382b61864ed4b50aff , .uf38f47eff3192f382b61864ed4b50aff .postImageUrl , .uf38f47eff3192f382b61864ed4b50aff .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uf38f47eff3192f382b61864ed4b50aff , .uf38f47eff3192f382b61864ed4b50aff:hover , .uf38f47eff3192f382b61864ed4b50aff:visited , .uf38f47eff3192f382b61864ed4b50aff:active { border:0!important; } .uf38f47eff3192f382b61864ed4b50aff .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uf38f47eff3192f382b61864ed4b50aff { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uf38f47eff3192f382b61864ed4b50aff:active , .uf38f47eff3192f382b61864ed4b50aff:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uf38f47eff3192f382b61864ed4b50aff .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uf38f47eff3192f382b61864ed4b50aff .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uf38f47eff3192f382b61864ed4b50aff .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uf38f47eff3192f382b61864ed4b50aff .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uf38f47eff3192f382b61864ed4b50aff:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uf38f47eff3192f382b61864ed4b50aff .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uf38f47eff3192f382b61864ed4b50aff .uf38f47eff3192f382b61864ed4b50aff-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uf38f47eff3192f382b61864ed4b50aff:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: |BENEFITS OF THE NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE | EssayReferenceLevinson, D. J. (1977). The Seasons of a Mans Life. Ballantine Books. Daniel J. Levinson wrote The Seasons of A Mans Life. Mr. Levinson conducted his research for the book in the late 1960s. At that time he was a Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry of the Yale University School of Medicine, Director of Psychology in the Connecticut Mental Health Center and Director of the Research Unit for Social Psychology and Psychiatry. Early in the book, Mr. Levinson states his reasons for engaging in theresearch of male adult development and for ultimately writing thebook. The choice of topic reflected a personal concern: at 46, I wanted to study the transition into middle age in order to understand what I had been going through myself. Over the previous ten years of my life had changed incrucial ways; I had developed in a sense I could not articulate. The studywould cast light on my own experience and, I hoped, contribute to an understanding of adult development in general.The book is completely about Levinsons theory of male adult development. Levinson acquired his research by interviewing 40 men between the ages of 35 and 45 from four different occupational groups. Through his interviews, Levinson believed that all males pass through aseries of stages, each of which presents a different problem to be solved. The first stage is known as the early adult transition (ages 17-22). The problem is to develop a sense of independence by separating from ones family and trying out different lifestyles. This is the stage where hopes and dreams are formulated. The next stage is entering the adult world (ages 22-28). The problemat this stage is to explore and obtain the many adult roles that are needed tobe happy and successful in ones career and relationships. A set of priorities begin to form. The age-thirty transition (ages 28-33) happens next. In this stage theman establishes his role in society, builds a nest, and pursues more long-range plans and goals. His problem may be evaluating earlier career choicesand goals. Immediately following the age-thirty transition is the settling downstage (ages 33-40). The problem here is to develop a sense of success in themajor areas of ones life, primarily ones career and relationships. The mid-life transition (early 40s) begins next. The problem here is to evaluate ones life goals and commitments, knowing that there is only a limited amount of time to reach them. The feeling that time is running out may contribute to what is often called the mid-life crisis. Lastly, entering middle adulthood (middle 40s). Here the problem islearning to live with previous decisions, such as by becoming morecommitted to ones family or career. I feel that the book was written very well. It went in-depth inmapping out the stages and the events in each one of the stages. I couldrelate to some but most I could not since Levinson limited his research toonly males. I am a female and only 22 so I have just barely entered into the early adult era. Looking at older males around me I can see some of what Levinson has stated to be true, however, I just dont believe that every maleis going to go through the life stages just as he says. I think that for the time when this book was written, Levinson probably did a great job in describing the stages. Most of the men that he interviewed were born before and duringthe Depression. What was true for the men that were interviewed may notbe true for todays 40-year-olds. By reading this book I can atbest say that I have a more complete understanding of male adult development. .ub933dc852424b2cda843d9be455c9c02 , .ub933dc852424b2cda843d9be455c9c02 .postImageUrl , .ub933dc852424b2cda843d9be455c9c02 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ub933dc852424b2cda843d9be455c9c02 , .ub933dc852424b2cda843d9be455c9c02:hover , .ub933dc852424b2cda843d9be455c9c02:visited , .ub933dc852424b2cda843d9be455c9c02:active { border:0!important; } .ub933dc852424b2cda843d9be455c9c02 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ub933dc852424b2cda843d9be455c9c02 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ub933dc852424b2cda843d9be455c9c02:active , .ub933dc852424b2cda843d9be455c9c02:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ub933dc852424b2cda843d9be455c9c02 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ub933dc852424b2cda843d9be455c9c02 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ub933dc852424b2cda843d9be455c9c02 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ub933dc852424b2cda843d9be455c9c02 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ub933dc852424b2cda843d9be455c9c02:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ub933dc852424b2cda843d9be455c9c02 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ub933dc852424b2cda843d9be455c9c02 .ub933dc852424b2cda843d9be455c9c02-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ub933dc852424b2cda843d9be455c9c02:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: According to Geldard EssayReferenceLevinson, D. J. (1977). The Seasons of a Mans Life. Ballantine Books. Book Reports