Changes In Interests
The shift in the direction of cultural pursuits is characteristic of both men and Women in middle age. There is a tendency to turn from interests that deplete the energy reserves to reading, art, and music, from participative roles to observer roles.
Well-adjusted middle-aged men and women become generally more conservative. The less.fortunate are conscious of the lack of money. The man who has been comfortably well off in earlier years is less concerned about making money than when he was youngerassuming, of course, that there are no marked demands on him by children and relatives. The middle-aged woman, however, finds money of more concern, because it means security to her. In middle age there is a change in attitude toward the use of money. Studies show that middle-agel's consider extravagance more serious than do college students.
Some of the frictions between youth and parents relate to reactions to interests. One reason why solutions are hard to come by centers on communication of feelings. A comparison of college students with middle-aged business and professional men revealed that the older group responded more quickly to emotion-provoking stimuli. The older men were less calm and easygoing than the younger, but they were more reserved in expressing their feelings. Younger men had more frequent periods of excitement, restlessness, and "blueness" than did the middle-agers.
