Mid-life crisis hits younger crowd

Jehane Sharah and Rosemary Bennett

It is the moment you realise you are past your peak and on the slow slide towards old age.

Work and marriage lose their meaning and getting a tattoo suddenly seems like a splendid idea.

The mid-life crisis is traditionally the preserve of those approaching 50 who are losing both their looks and earning capacity at a frightening pace.

But the malaise is now affecting people as young as 35.

A British study has found that thirty-somethings are experiencing it now, and Australian researchers agree.

Adelaide clinical and organisational psychologist Darryl Cross said he had seen a number of people in their late 20s and early 30s experiencing career anxiety. He said the increased prominence of advertising and marketing had led to an unprecedented sense of materialism among young people.

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“They see others around them who are doing so much better than them,” Dr Cross said.

“There’s a myth propagated that success equals power and achievement, and that’s not true. Happiness is an inside job, it’s not about external status and possessions.”

The British study blames a shift in work culture that means that if you are less than halfway up the greasy pole by 35, forget it. A generation ago, the average age of a chief executive was 59. Today it is 48.

In a survey of 2000 Britons of all ages, it was revealed that those aged between 35 and 44 were the unhappiest, reporting career anxiety, loneliness and relationship troubles.

According to the study — conducted by British counsellors Relate and the broadband company Talk Talk — those aged 35 to 44 were the loneliest, with 21 per cent saying they felt lonely all the time, compared with 13 per cent of those older than 65.

Relationships Australia deputy chairwoman Anne Hollonds said people aged between 35 and 44 had “very high” expectations when it came to career success and material wealth.

“People in that age group tend to be subjected to a lot of pressure,” she said.

Article from The Australian, September 30, 2010.