DEVELOPMENTAL CRISIS IN EARLY ADULTHOOD: A ...

acceptable.” (p.8). George was living according to the expectations of the gay subculture
of which he was a part, rather than his own inclinations. He explains that he
felt “a pressure on me to conform” (p.7) to the gay stereotype of being promiscuous,
despite wanting a stable relationship.
Ben said of his marriage “we played the standard roles, perhaps to a fault.”
(p.6), and reflected that his self had not fully developed. His early crisis phase is
defined by a lack of self-knowledge: “All I can say is a lack of substance and
assurance that I was somebody.” (p.5). He described the restricted and constrained
nature of this self using the adjective “tight” several times. In response to being asked
what other people would have said he was like at the time, he said: “A bit tight, a bit
inhibited. A bit unforthcoming. Nice, but doesn’t know quite where he is.” (p.7)
Phase 2 - Mid Crisis: Separation and Escape
As with the female clusters, the centre of crisis is separation from the
ensnaring role of Phase 1. For this cluster, this includes separation at home and at
work.
Falling Apart: The Demise of the Pre-Crisis Life Structure
The pre-crisis life structures become increasingly dissatisfying and
problematic for the individuals concerned. George was building huge debts, due to
his expensive and physically destructive drug habit, and so found his life ‘falling
apart’:
“It was getting to the point where everything was falling apart. I had no money, the
friends that I had were all to do with alcohol, clubs and drugs. There was no
substance to the friendships and relationships I was having. I lived in a crumby bedsit
and things weren’t going well at work…And I think what happened, I would identify
it as a crisis because I think it’s the moment where I hit rock bottom.” (p.1)
This led to a suicide attempt at the age of 31 – George tried to take his own life with
an overdose. He failed in this attempt to take his own life, and was rushed into
hospital the next day. He describes a new clarity, lying in his hospital bed, with a new
resolution that things “had to change” (p.4). So upon leaving hospital, he left his job
and left his group of friends in the club and drugs scene behind, and attempted for the
first time to get some permanent housing. While this was an exciting time for George,
it was also suffused with sadness: “there were periods of huge deflation and feeling
very, very sad.” (p.2)
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