Male Dentists at Midlife: An Exploration of the One Life/One Career Imperative

Abstract

A self-administered questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of male dentists (ages 35–50) in a single midwestern state. All dentists surveyed held similar views on the role that their careers played in shaping their identity, and 84 percent agreed with an hypothesis which suggests that most Americans believe they have the opportunity to pursue but one career during their lifetimes and that professionals, in particular, are likely to feel “trapped” in their careers as they age. A “crisis index” sought to isolate men undergoing the so-called midlife crisis, and both high and low crisis groups were identified. High-crisis dentists were markedly more concerned about health problems than were low-crisis dentists. High-crisis dentists were less satisfied with their careers, were far more likely to feel “trapped” in their positions, and experienced a greater entanglement of their domestic and professional lives.