Expectations for changes in midlife men

This study investigated the expectations for changes among midlife men in the personal, familial and occupational domains. The study explored the predominance of and the interrelationships among such expectations, as well as the differentiation between men who expected change and those who did not. A questionnaire tapping various demographic and attitudinal variables was administered to 395 men aged 40 to 55, all married and fathers. The results indicated that 38.6% expected change in their personal life-style, 26.0% in their familial life, and 33.1% in their occupation. Expectations for change in the personal domain moderately correlated with those in both the familial and the occupational domains, whereas expectations in the latter two domains were uncorrelated. Stepwise discriminant analyses delineated variables that significantly discriminated between the group expecting change and the group not expecting change in each domain. The discriminating variables for the personal and familial domains were similar and related to issues of family and age, whereas the counterpart variables in the occupational domain were specifically relevant to one’s work and economic status. Expectations for changes are discussed in terms of mental set and transitional stages. Specific focus is given to motives of dissatisfaction and age a-synchronicity that characterized those men who expected changes.