While there is no exact consensus as to the age range of this period of life, it generally refers to the ages between approximately 40 and 60, with the lower limit sometimes placed as low as age 35 and the upper one as high as 65 years of age.

In Erik Erikson's influential scheme of human development, middle age is the period in which an individual is presented with the developmental task of choosing between ego stagnation (self-interest) and generativity, the capacity to care for others and make a positive contribution to society by being productive in work, parenting, or other activities. Carl Jung characterized the middle years as a time for self-realization and the exploration of spiritual and social values once the practical tasks of finding an occupation...