Myths and realities: the invisible decade -- New identities, new priorities: settling down or gearing up? -- Stories and dreams: listening to inner voices -- Body and mind: over the hill or in our prime? -- The mirror of history: understanding commonality and diversity -- Friends and lovers: the quest for relationship and autonomy -- Families: new roles as parents, grandparents, and children -- Work and career: changing needs and sources of meaning -- Leadership: power, redefinition, and self-renewal -- Achievement and failure: coming to terms -- Reinventing our lives: the challenge of change -- To the next generation: preparing for your fifties.