[Maturescence, a critical phase between ages 40 and 65. Health, illness, aging and social ages]

The recent emergence of a critical phase in life called maturescence, situated between the ages of 40 and 65, is a by-product of social life in industrialized societies. Because it is considered as a crossroads, this phase in life is not connected with any particular chronological age, such as reaching forty or fifty. Rather, it involves the difficulties of aging in society and the oncoming of identity conflicts, all of which must be seen in relation with the specific health-related problems that result from aging.