Striving for competitive success and establishing their career is a central focus for men in this era of life. It is a time of conflict between the demands of family life and the demands of work. It may reflect severe security anxieties, whether of financial worries or issues of pride and self-esteem. It may reflect greed and the need to acquire more and more wealth, power, prestige, and influence. This pattern, whatever its roots, may threaten not only the family but also the man's health.
Some men experience considerable tension between their lives at work and their lives at home.
A man who is aggressive and competent in the outside world, for example, may be a passive and dependent helpmate, who waits for his wife to anticipate and take care of his every need. Conversely, a man who is meek and subservient at work may be a domestic tyrant. So much self-approval may rest on the career that severe depressions may be precipitated by business setbacks and failures. Issues involving passivity may also determine success or failure, excellence or mediocrity. A significant number of men envy the passive role society frequently assigns women and wish they were exempt from society's expectations of success.