Midlife crisis is a normal part of lifespan development, as Levinson explains in his book, 'The Seasons of a Man's Life.' To him, adults go through a stage where they have an image of the desired future that keeps them motivated. This image is described as the 'dream' and includes career progression and achievement at midlife. According to Levinson, adults find it difficult to reconcile their former dreams of what should have been with the present, that is, what is. This frustration, thus, leads them to take on new activities, activities they had wanted to do at the time of the dream. However, Levinson's research is criticized by researchers due to his methods and further refuted as most research has proven that most people in the United States currently do not experience midlife crises.
Family is considered the domain of life that presents the most pleasure to middle age adults. Care activities for middle-aged adults are directed to the family. The definition of family varies as it can refer to children, grandchildren, spouses, and even caring for aging parents. Family relationships manifest in various forms, such as kin keeping which refers to the family member who seeks to keep the family connected through gatherings and passing down history, amongst others. Additionally, the empty nest is an experience that most parents go through in middle adulthood when their children become adults and leave the home. The reverse also happens in boomerang kids, whereby the young adults who have previously lived independently come back to live in the home.
Moreover, for all adults, friendships contribute to a sense of belonging. Middle adulthood is characterized by a gradual decline in the art of making friends, as one's primary concern is in caring for children and work. Young adults are more likely to quickly and easily make friends due to the new contexts they enter, such as work, marriage, and education, which places them at a vantage point for social connectedness. Middle adulthood, on the other hand, lacks these contexts. Middle-aged adults focus on already established close relationships in addition to the fact that work and family demands may restrict available time and resources for social interactions of this nature. Furthermore, the poor social connectedness experienced in adulthood, in general, is associated with a higher risk of premature mortality than obesity, cigarette smoking, and excessive alcohol use.
Lastly, work is also an essential feature of social development. However, it is important to note that work as a source of satisfaction varies with responsibility. Having younger children places work as a great source of satisfaction for younger middle-aged adults, while the reverse is true. Further, middle adulthood, especially currently, is associated with lower work satisfaction as the work content is evolving and requires learning new skills. This has been seen to be a better preserve of young adulthood as information acquisition goals are less prevalent in middle adulthood, especially with technological advancement. The various aspects of social development discussed herein have a strong bearing on Erik Erikson's generativity vs. self‐absorption.