Midlife Metamorphosis

Authors

Patricia Evans, Walden UniversityFollow

Abstract

The study was conducted in response to the need for an increased understanding of the aging experiences of women transitioning midlife. The purpose of the research was to explore the personal understanding of the changes that occur during the midlife period. A qualitative case study was implemented to ascertain how women of the Latter-day Saint (LDS) faith experience the midlife transition. The narratives of 10 LDS women ages 35 to 65 were obtained through personal interviews. The data were analyzed from a feminist, social constructionist, and narrative perspective using Chenail’s Qualitative Matrix as a formal coding system to guide the process of analysis and reporting (Col e, 1994). The findings indicate that the younger cohort had inner conflict s; those in the middle age cohort experienced role confusion; and the oldest cohort experienced generativity. These findings may suggest that a positive metamorphosis takes place in women during the midlife transition.

Keywords

Midlife and Transition Qualitative Research

Acknowledgements

This article was based on the findings from my doctoral research at Walden University. I am grateful to the church leaders who encouraged the research to take place within the LDS stake, and to those brave and generous women who shared their personal experiences with me. I also owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Marie Caputi and my dissertation committee members at Walden University.

Publication Date

3-1-2008

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2008.1607

Recommended APA Citation

Evans, P. (2008). Midlife Metamorphosis. The Qualitative Report, 13(1), 78-99. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2008.1607