Psychological research on middle adulthood has focused on simple trends such as midlife decline or growth. More recent research has developed a more dynamic and contextual view of this period. However, developing such a view of midlife requires an appropriate theoretical and methodological framework. In this study, we used the framework of the dialogical self theory to analyze interviews with 98 participants aged 40–59 about midlife. The analysis categorized the interviews and identified five patterns that characterize the midlife lived experience: dialogical-reflective, discontinuous (predominantly men), integrated (predominantly women), traumatic, and monologic (men only). The validity of these patterns was checked by testing relationships with the Positive and Negative Schedule and the Ego Integrity Scale. We concluded that each pattern characterizing the midlife lived experience represents a particular midlife psychology that is variously associated with the simple trends such as midlife growth, midlife decline, or a balance between these opposites. At the same time, the patterns of the midlife lived experience were rooted in expectations typical of Czech society. In particular, gender-related social expectations played an important role in shaping the midlife experience of women and men.

对中年期的心理学研究主要集中在简单的趋势，例如中年衰退或成长。最近的研究对这一时期提出了更加动态和背景的看法。然而，形成这样的中年观需要适当的理论和方法论框架。在这项研究中，我们使用对话自我理论的框架来分析对 98 名 40-59 岁参与者的中年访谈。该分析对访谈进行了分类，并确定了中年生活经历的五种模式：对话反思型、不连续型（主要是男性）、整合型（主要是女性）、创伤性和独白型（仅男性）。通过测试与积极和消极时间表以及自我完整性量表的关系来检查这些模式的有效性。我们得出的结论是，表征中年生活经历的每种模式都代表了一种特定的中年心理，这种心理与中年成长、中年衰退或这些对立之间的平衡等简单趋势有不同的联系。与此同时，中年生活经历的模式植根于捷克社会的典型期望。特别是，与性别相关的社会期望在塑造女性和男性的中年经历方面发挥着重要作用。