The second half of life presents a rich possibility for spiritual enlargement, for we are   never going to have greater powers of choice, never have more lessons of history from   which to learn, and never possess more emotional resilience, more insight into what   works for us and what does not, or a deeper, sometimes more desperate, conviction of the   importance of getting our life back.    What does it really mean to be a grown up in today’s world?  We generally recognize   only three developmental periods of life—childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.  We   assume that once we "get it together" with the right job, marry the right person, have   children, and buy a home, all is settled and well.  But adulthood itself presents varying   levels of growth, and is rarely the respite of stability we expected.  Turbulent emotional   shifts can take place anywhere between the age of thirty-five and seventy when we   question the choices we’ve made, realize our limitations, and feel stuck—commonly   known as the "midlife crisis."  In Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life,   Jungian analyst James Hollis explores the ways we can grow and evolve to fully become   ourselves when the traditional roles of adulthood aren’t quite working for us.    Revealing a new way of uncovering and embracing our authentic selves, Hollis offers   wisdom to anyone facing a career that no longer seems fulfilling, a long-term relationship   that has shifted, or family transitions that raise issues of aging and mortality. Through   case studies and provocative observations, Finding Meaning in the Second Half of   Life provides a reassuring message and a crucial bridge across this critical passage of   adult development.