A qualitative study of midlife stories: transcending from crisis to epiphany

Abstract

Midlife is stereotyped and often misconstrued. This study explores and challenges the conventional portrayal of a midlife crisis and its stereotypical dénouement into a state of lasting turmoil and negativity. The narratives of six participants undergoing a midlife crisis are examined through qualitative exploration using an ethnographic lens. This study interprets midlife crises as transcendent journeys leading to epiphanies. The narratives of each participant’s midlife crisis are explored in rich detail, eliciting both common and distinct themes emerging during midlife. These themes serve as the genesis of the participants’ transcendent journeys and provide the insights to extrapolate the epiphanies they experienced. These epiphanies facilitate maturescence at midlife, soliciting endemic insights and equipping the midlife adult with hitherto unencountered and unique ways of navigating the world. Consequently, there is a potential to redefine the stereotypical perception of midlife and contribute to the emergence of a new midlife generation.