mid-life crisis or realization of lack of fulfillment?

   I commute over an hour, so talk radio has come to be entertaining, though most of it IS pretty ridiculous or just trash. The topic on today's Top 40 station of choice was "mid-life crisis" and people were calling in with their stories.... re-financing to get expensive cars, random divorces, quitting jobs,  etc.  One 18 year-old guy called in to say that he was going thru one...b/c he felt the monatony of working 9-5 and multiple jobs. The dj laughed at him being so young, and basically said "get used to it".
    This got me thinking about the concept of a "midlife crisis".  (along with the related " quarter-life crisis" buzz phrase that has been floating around the self-help and pop-psychology world).  I got frustrated with the radio talk and our culture's notion of  this age-focused identity crisis. Is questioning your mundane existence or quitting what you know to be safe to go after your dream SO strange to deserve this label that pins the problem on your pending birthday?  If so, we have reached a sad state of personal development when we label and poke fun at those trying to find there real selves.  Why do we label someone, and say that it MUST be their age/stage, if they are seeking their true self and trying to find what makes them happy or go after something that want to accomplish before they leave their moral body?  It seems that if people question their life choices or try something new as a result of analyzing how their life has be lead so far that they get lumped in with this label.  I know that I'm probably  "preaching to the choir" here as most GAIA people seem to understand self-awareness, question what society says our goals should be (wealth, fame, or just the status quo) and are mindful about how they live their life.
  However, not all in this group seem to change up their life out of seeking meaning or authenicity. Some, like the family man-  who refinanced the house to get a expensive motorcycle that he couldn't afford, those with random affairs,  were basically just allowing themself to regress in maturity. Perhaps its out of fear of death? But I still find it despicable.
When one is facing mortality, what  drives some people to hedonism and others towards deeper fulfillment? And why do we question the when people seek change and reject the easy route laid before them?