Men's experiences of middle-age: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

ABSTRACT

Middle-age is distinctive in both the quantity of stressors experienced and their nature, so is an important area of study. This study used semi-structured e-mail interviews to investigate how a group of nine Caucasian, middle-class, heterosexual men aged between 45 and 55 years made sense of ageing and middle-age. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis approach was employed. Analysis of the accounts indicated four superordinate themes: (1) feelings of being trapped in between post-industrial and contemporaneous gender ideals, (2) mind over body, and the disregard of the metrosexual body ideology, (3) fatherhood, being busy, and lost opportunities, (4) holistic and inward self-awareness. Future studies are needed to enable an understanding of middle-aged men's experiences of distress associated with ageing, and to investigate whether this is associated with the progress of long-term physical and mental conditions at midlife.

KEYWORDS:

• Ageing
• midlife
• masculine ideals
• interpretative phenomenological analysis

Notes on contributors

Szilvia Vas is currently working as a health psychology researcher, undertaking a Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology at Staffordshire University. Her areas of interest include psychology of illness and treatment-induced altered body image, loss of female identity and masculinity.

Dr Mark Forshaw is Subject Leader for Psychology at Liverpool John Moores University. A Registered Health Psychologist and established author of many books and papers, he is a Trustee of the British Psychological Society and President of the Institute of Health Promotion & Education. His research interests are wide but include complementary medicine, mindfulness and motivational interventions.

Dr Sarah Grogan is Professor of Psychology, Health and Wellbeing at Manchester Metropolitan University. Sarah is interested in body image in men and women and its impact on health-related behaviours, and is currently involved in various projects linking body image to smoking cessation, sun tanning and exercise.