The Male Seven Year Cycle

[neonlyte]

Myth or reality... anyone heard of this? Or has my delusional brain dredged another meaningless glob of information from the cesspit of imagination.

It goes like this (as far as I can remember): the male body operates on a seven-year cycle when it undergoes change think pre-pubescent seven year olds, spotty acne ridden fourteen year olds, cock-sure twenty one year olds, premature balding forty two year olds, philandering forty nine year olds and pre-retirement sixty three year olds. I've missed some out, but you get the picture. Thing is... did I make this up or has someone else heard of this cycle.

 

[christabelll]

nope you didn't make it up - my ex has followed that pattern nearly his whole life LOLOLOLOL...

But I had heard it was related to the marriage thingie... I suppose you could pick a number and apply it all the way across the board and get something of the same thing... for me its cycles of three three seconds, days, months, years

But I'm strange that way.

 

[matriarch]

Every Seven Years You Change
Tony Crisp

This feature was originally written in 1965. It has less research and content than I would wish to present today, but it is still interesting and useful

Every cell in your body is changed over a seven-year period.

Does your personality change, too?

ARE you the same person now that you were fifteen years ago? In fact, are you the same person you were just seven years ago? Most of us have heard the old saying that every cell in the body is changed over a period of seven years; but recent investigation has uncovered facts of far more significance to us as human beings. This concerns the emotional, physical and mental changes that seem to occur in approximate seven-year intervals.

Rudolph Steiner, the great teacher of Anthroposophy said that the seven-year cycles continue throughout life, and are of the utmost importance to doctors, teachers, psychiatrists and the social sciences. Without some smattering of these changes it is difficult for anyone to understand the relationship of any given individual with his or her environment. So I have tried to summarise what Steiner has said about the cycles.

0-7

One of the most important of these cycles is the first, from birth to seven years of age. Its importance lies in the fact that it is the beginning of everything, the foundation upon which the later structure will be built. Birth gives individual life to an infant body. Even at birth, this small being already has its given potential of intelligence, creativity and personality. But this potential has to come to terms with its environment, which includes its own body. In a human being we cannot have awareness without consciousness; we cannot have thinking without the tools of thought such as language, concepts or ideas. So during our early years we are largely moved by the instincts of hunger, need for love and attention, along with pain and the impact of our environment. All this while we build up the inner, mental structures that in later years will allow us to think, to feel, and to be aware of ourselves as an individual.

But something so mysterious happens to us during this first seven years that once done it can never be undone. The Roman Catholic Church recognises this by saying that if they can have the first seven years of a child's life, that is all they need to insure a lifelong influence. Napoleon also observed that as the twig is bent, so the tree will grow. This is borne out by seeing the cases of children who have been lost and brought up by animals during these formative years. Even with the best tuition they never learn to become a self aware personality as we know it. Time is a mystery to them, and even though their brain size and function is normal, they never approach the usual capabilities that education gives to modern women and men. So, in the first cycle we pass through an incredible process of learning. This includes motor movements, speech, relationship to ourselves and to our environment. And that means learning a vast amount about what is useful, entertaining or harmful; about what responses we get from others, and developing habits of response that may be difficult to change in later years. We learn a sense of personal awareness and move toward becoming an individual. In other words, we learn to say "I" and know what we mean.

7-14

The second cycle, from seven to fourteen, continues this growth. The concepts and association of ideas and emotions that began in the first cycle begin to be discovered by the child. The physical changes also prepare the growing personality for the next stage. The thymus gland decreases rapidly in size. The child has learned, with the advent of its concepts and developing emotions, to create an inner world of its own. It is a world of heroes, danger and vivid imagination. As the thymus fades, and the sexual organs develop, the personality glides into the turbulent world of puberty and adolescence.

14-21

This is the third cycle, from fourteen to twenty-one. During it we become conscious of ourselves in a new way, and with a different relationship to life. One might say we become "self conscious." The emotional range expands in all directions, and with this a new appreciation of music, art, literature and people begins. It is found for instance that at puberty the ability to distinguish subtler tones of colour and sound develops. Besides this the person has to go through the difficult struggle of breaking away from home life and parental influence. It naturally produces conflict as the person learns some degree of independence. Also, the opposite sex usually becomes all important as the new emotions pour in upon our personality.

Because of the new range of feelings, many youths experience a different relationship to religion and life's mysteries. All this, as one approaches twenty-one, produces an individual with some sense of social and individual responsibility, adding maturity, dignity and poise to the person. If these changes have not occurred by twenty-one, then the person has in some way not covered necessary progress, and both psychology and the law recognises that they are lacking maturity. This period is one of great and sweeping changes, physically, emotionally, morally and mentally. It is also a time when many new features of the personality have their beginning, i.e. the religious sense, appreciation of the beautiful, etc. Although such things have their beginnings here, they sometimes remain undeveloped until later years. Because of these changes, and because such a lot is being revealed in these years, it is obvious why so much thought should be given to early marriage. Because of one's changing viewpoint, the particular partner one would choose at seventeen or eighteen, is likely to be different to the partner chosen at twenty-one and beyond.

21-28

The cycle that follows from twenty-one to twenty-eight, can more or less be called a process of enlargement and refinement. One of the most marked features is the developing sense of discrimination. The faculties of insight, intuition, judgement and understanding begin to come to the fore. The personality softens and begins to mellow. The sparks of interest that were awakened in the last cycle begin to be developed along more definite lines. The abilities of the last cycle also flourish.

28-35

The changes become more subtle as the years pass. The next cycle from twenty eight to thirty-five, for instance, is one where the creative process of mind becomes most active. Researchers and inventors seem to make their greatest advances during these years. It is interesting to note that physical science finds evidence of the reason for this in the fact that the association centres of the brain come to their peak efficiency at about thirty-five years of age. This is even more interesting when we see that most of the great religious teachers and philosophers came to some vital experience at thirty-five. Jesus, Buddha, Paul, Dante and Jacob Behmen were all in the region of thirty-five at the point of their greatest religious experience. It would seem then, that if there is a religious or inspirational influence at work in the life, it would possibly reach its peak during these years in and around thirty-five.

35-42

From the thirty-fifth to the forty-second year, depending upon one's personality and what one's circumstances allow, one begins to feel a new restlessness. In some degree a desire to share whatever one has gained through life with others comes to the surface. Thus we find many successful business men building libraries, or aiding colleges and the arts at this period in their life. What has been developed or realised can be taken to greater subtlety during this period.

42-49

In the next cycle from forty-two until forty-nine a major change usually takes place. It is as if one takes all of one's life experience up till this age and begins to digest it, and extract from it new ideals and a new direction in life. There is often tremendous unrest in this period and that following it. The unlived aspects of life cry out to be recognised and allowed. The desire to make a mark in life if it has not already been achieved presses for action here.

Decline or Rebirth?

In this, and the next cycle from forty-nine to fifty-six, and the periods that follow, the physical changes bring about a mental or spiritual climax. The decline of physical prowess and vitality, forces the person to direct their attention inwards more frequently. Any problems of our personality, such as maladjustment and our repressions, will undoubtedly become more urgent in these years. This reacts upon one's marriage and professional life alike. The problem is that we have to learn to live with ourselves in a new way. We slowly have to adapt to our new-old body, and habits of long-standing do not die easily.

As we have seen, the various physical changes have interacted with the spark of awareness lit at birth, causing changes in consciousness and attitude. Might we not speculate then, by saying that the biggest physical change of all-death - may be but a pre-requisite for yet another cycle of life; an initiation into an entirely new type of awareness?

 

[CharleyH]

Myth or reality... anyone heard of this? Or has my delusional brain dredged another meaningless glob of information from the cesspit of imagination.

It goes like this (as far as I can remember): the male body operates on a seven-year cycle when it undergoes change think pre-pubescent seven year olds, spotty acne ridden fourteen year olds, cock-sure twenty one year olds, premature balding forty two year olds, philandering forty nine year olds and pre-retirement sixty three year olds. I've missed some out, but you get the picture. Thing is... did I make this up or has someone else heard of this cycle.

I heard of this, but pertaining to both women and men. Mat enlightens me a bit here, basically. Some of her quotes are what I remember hearing, though. Some are, what does a Brit say? Cockneyed? Cocknied?

 

[neonlyte]

Wonderful Mats & Christabelll.

That is a relief... it solves a story problem for a 14 yr old blind boy and his erection (as in building - good lord, no one under eighteen has sex organs )

 

[rgraham666]

I'd forgo the mental or spiritual climaxes if I could keep my physical ones.

 

[christabelll]

Holy Crap Batman... My brain just exploded!!!

 

[Carnevil9]

Vulcans operate on a seven-year cycle. Every seven years, they experience the derangement of "pon-far." If it's on Star Trek, it must be true.

 

[AvoidingRealWork]

Vulcans operate on a seven-year cycle. Every seven years, they experience the derangement of "pon-far." If it's on Star Trek, it must be true.

I came to this thread to post that.

 

[gauchecritic]

I heard of this, but pertaining to both women and men. Mat enlightens me a bit here, basically. Some of her quotes are what I remember hearing, though. Some are, what does a Brit say? Cockneyed? Cocknied?

cock-eyed. (probably refers to strabismus, the physical inability to bring both eyes into alignment thereby affecting depth of field and binocular vision.)

 

[CharleyH]

cock-eyed. (probably refers to strabismus, the physical inability to bring both eyes into alignment thereby affecting depth of field and binocular vision.)

LOL, thanks for the laugh. lol.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I like the bit where it says:
...The changes become more subtle as the years pass...

Uh... yeah. As in, "If you can't actually see the change we've promised, it's because it's subtle."

 

[Vermilion]

seven year cycle? jeez, no wonder you guys get so grouchy! I get grumpy for a week and I have a one month cycle, on a seven year cycle you must have PMT for like - a year and 3 quarters!
'splains a lot... <nods wisely>


x
V

 

[carsonshepherd]

Thirty five is your creative peak? That means I only have a year before I'm maxed out. This makes me so sad.

 

[keeblercrumb]

Thirty five is your creative peak? That means I only have a year before I'm maxed out. This makes me so sad.

You think you have problems? I lost count trying count up MY cycles... I must be dead. Can I go back to those "subtle" changes?



-KC

 

[WRJames]

Well, I'm certainly depressed (or maybe amused?) to find out that it was all over when I was pushing fifty. Good thing I didn't realize it at the time!

Personally, I didn't even start to write music until I was 39. I put out my first patent a couple of years later. The only thing that stopped that steady stream of inventions was retirement. So I don't buy that "decline" theory.

Most of our Presidential candidates are well past that 46 year mark -- they don't seem to be in decline.

I was on a cruise the week before last, sitting in a piano bar where they were doing a Sinatra hour -- one of the songs was "It Was a Very Good Year." Do you realize it ends at thirty-five -- after that "the days are done, I'm in the autumn of my life." I was about twenty when that song came out, and that seemed about right.