Next, Levinson in 1987 interviewed forty–five women between the ages of thirty–five and forty–five years of age. One–third were homemakers, one–third college instructors, and one-third businesswomen. In general, he found that women go through the same type of cycles that men do. However, the life stages of women tend to be tied closer to the family life cycle. In his theory there are two key concepts: 1) the Stable Period - This is the time when a person makes crucial choices in life, 2) the Transitional Period - This is the end of a person's stage and the beginning of a new one. Life during these transitions can be either rocky or smooth, but the quality and significance of one’s life commitments often change between the beginning and end of a period. Levinson et al. (1978) describe adulthood as a series of stable and transitional periods. During stable periods the adult pursues fairly clear goals. The individual must reorder priorities and change behaviour in order to compensate for neglected dimensions of self (e.g. unfulfilled ambitions, newly acquired
Next, Levinson in 1987 interviewed forty–five women between the ages of thirty–five and forty–five years of age. One–third were homemakers, one–third college instructors, and one-third businesswomen. In general, he found that women go through the same type of cycles that men do. However, the life stages of women tend to be tied closer to the family life cycle. In his theory there are two key concepts: 1) the Stable Period - This is the time when a person makes crucial choices in life, 2) the Transitional Period - This is the end of a person's stage and the beginning of a new one. Life during these transitions can be either rocky or smooth, but the quality and significance of one’s life commitments often change between the beginning and end of a period. Levinson et al. (1978) describe adulthood as a series of stable and transitional periods. During stable periods the adult pursues fairly clear goals. The individual must reorder priorities and change behaviour in order to compensate for neglected dimensions of self (e.g. unfulfilled ambitions, newly acquired