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M Cecil Smith
I’d like to talk to you this evening about retirement and the preparation for retirement,
study developmental events occurring across the life span, are interested in the process of
retirement because it is one of the hallmark passages in the life of the individual. I speak
of- retirement as a process, rather than a single event, because retirement occurs not only
at that moment when the individual receives his or her gold watch from the company.
Retirement occurs, rather, over a lengthy period of time and the process of retiring is
marked by several developmental tasks. These tasks must be recognized, negotiated, and
I’d like to begin by asking you to respond to a couple of questions. First of all, for those
of you who are thinking about, or actually planning for, impending retirement: What are
your ideas about what your retirement is going to be like? For those of you who have
been retired for some time: Have your retirement experiences thus far met your
retirement as “the long weekend” (Datan & Thomas, 1984). This metaphor suggests
several views of retirement. I’d like to elaborate on each of these views for a few minutes
to set the stage for the ideas that I wish to discuss concerning what I refer to as transition
and growth in retirement. While transitions or changes are inevitable throughout our
lives, growth can only occur through the resolution of various developmental tasks.
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What images come to mind when we think of retirement as a “long weekend”? Just as the
arrival of the weekend signals the end of the workweek, so retirement signals the end of
the worklife. This metaphor strongly suggests that the end of one s working life is also
is this aspect of retirement which psychologists and social gerontologists have devoted
The “long weekend” metaphor also symbolizes the transition from working, from being
Retirement is seen as a sort of “less than” condition: the retiree is less productive than
when he or she was working, and so, is considered to be less important and less valuable
than the worker (Miller, 1965). This view, like the first, is obviously a quite negative
attitude about retirement. Perhaps this mind-set has something to do with the mythic
“Protestant work ethic” under which most of us toil throughout our productive years
(Weber, 1958). This attitude assumes that the retired individual will be inactive, or will--
This transitional aspect of retirement, from full time productivity to relative inactivity in
the economic marketplace, has also been the focus of much research by both
psychologists and sociologists. The questions of interest are: what effects does retirement
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have on the self— concept and self— esteem of the retiree? How well do most adults
adjust to retirement? And, how satisfied are they with their lives as retirees?
Finally, the third dimension of the metaphor suggested by Datan is that of a transition
from one kind of activity— work--to another kind of activity, self-development. It is this
dimension of the “long weekend” metaphor that has the most positive, health-enhancing
I’d like to focus on this positive dimension of Datan’s metaphor. Keeping this metaphor
in mind--the transition from one kind of activity to another--I’d like also to talk about
how this transitional process affects several developmental tasks in the retiring person’s
life. These tasks have to do with achieving self— acceptance and, in some cases self-
esteem, reexamining the role of social and family relationships during the retirement
process, and deciding how one will live one’s life in retirement. These tasks are not
merely a replacement for the loss of work-related tasks. More important, the successful
The loss of a work role in our work-oriented society may, in some cases, be damaging to
the retiree’s self-esteem. The person may say, “Who am I without my work? I have no
identity.” I do not want to place too much emphasis on this point. There is little evidence
that retirement negatively affects the self-concept or self-esteem of most people (Cottrell
& Atchley, 1969). In fact, retirement seems to have little impact on one’s self-concept or
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self-esteem (George, 1980). What is important is that the end of one s work life results in
inactivity comes to mind. Those who adjust best to retirement are individuals who
develop a life style that provides continuity with their past working lives and which meets
Retirement does not mean that the retired person must adopt a completely new identity:
the individual often continues to view him— or herself in terms of their former work life
(e.g., “I’m a retired investment banker”). Gerontologist Robert Atchley (1977) suggests,
however, that very few people rest their identity on a single role. The social roles of
spouse, parent, grandparent, church deacon, or volunteer still exist for the person, despite
the fact that he or she has retired. No doubt these roles are equally important as our work
Erik Erikson describes eight ages in the life course of individuals. Each age has particular
developmental tasks associated with it. The resolution of these tasks serves to shape one’s
personality within a social context. The two ages relevant to mature adulthood are
Generativity occurs at midlife and is the concern one has in establishing and guiding the
generations through one’s productivity and creativity. Thus, a legacy of oneself is left to
the retirement process creates many opportunities for the individual to renew him or
herself in terms of creative works, personal development, and achieving intimacy with
others. In doing so, many of the needs of adult life can be met over the course of the
“long weekend.”
Achieving intimacy means to attain satisfying relationships with other people. These
relationships are marked by affection, mutual trust, empathy and understanding. The most
logical place for the mature adult to form such intimate relationships is in the context of
his or her family: spouse, adult children, and grandchildren. Our close interpersonal
may be.
The retired adult can now turn attention to the intimate aspects of his or her marital
renewing commitments that have been unspoken over the years, and openly expressing
care for one another. These tasks are particularly important because retirement offers the
couple the opportunity to devote their energies to the creation of a new marital
relationship. In fact, the retirement of one or both spouses will have serious consequences
If we examine more closely some of the particulars of retirement for the couple, we can
see how the development of a renewed and stronger relationship can be adaptive during
the retirement process. The timing of retirement is an important factor. Many spouses
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retire together. This allows them to enjoy their free time together, share new interests and
activities, travel together and so on. When husbands retire first, problems may arise if the
husband becomes bored with his retirement activities. Another problem occurs when the
husband is envious of his still-working wife who is active and has many social contacts
So, retirement can have different effects on spouses. Wives are often more satisfied with
their retirement than are their husbands. Wives may, however, find their husband’s
retirement status. The husband who fails to develop a plan for his own self-development
may become overly dependent upon his wife for emotional support. Indeed, she may no
his only regular social contact. The burden of such responsibility may be too much for the
wife.
Retirement of the wife seems to result in fewer adjustment problems for the couple.
Couples usually do not have to renegotiate the allocation of household tasks, having a
compensate for the loss of work, and are usually much less fulfilling. So, new activities
and routines must be developed. A further difficulty that often accompanies retirement is
Retirement, of course, does provide time to spend with one’s adult children,
grandchildren, and aging parents. This can be both a blessing and a curse, depending
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upon the quality of relationships within the family, geographic proximity, and the health
status of family members. Unresolved conflicts with adult children may come to the fore
again, and so retirement may be a time for reestablishing the intimate bonds that marked
the early years of parenting. Also, there is more time for grandchildren. The retired adult
can pass along knowledge, skills, and wisdom to yet another generation. Erikson’s task of
qenerativity reemerges in retirement. The retired adult may find him or herself helping
not only members of the younger generation, but also caring for aging parents. So, the
By “ego integrity” Erikson was referring to the sense of wholeness achieved by looking
back on one’s life with a sense of satisfaction. The retiree may ask questions such as:
what have I accomplished? What have I yet to do with the time I have left? What can I
realistically hope to accomplish? And finally, can I live with the limitations of my life?
This last question, and how it is answered, seems to be the key to establishing a sense of
integrity.
Achieving ego integrity means that one has adapted to the realities of one’s own life and
can preserve a sense of self. Self-acceptance is thereby achieved. This task of achieving
ego integrity is a mostly unconscious process that can be greatly nurtured by the activities
of the retired individual. Among these activities is the creation and acceptance of new
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roles in life that provide a sense of continuity, satisfaction, and stability over the course
In looking at these roles, we turn to the theme of establishing new relationships and
nurturing old ones. With the end of the work life, there exists the threat of an ending to
one’s friendship network-— particularly if this network consists of fellow workers. There
is little evidence that retirement in and of itself has a negative influence on the quality of
may arise for the retiree: how can I maintain the friendships that I have? To what extent
establish new friendships? These questions may be particularly salient if the retiree plans
Friendships tend to be based on common interests and similarity in terms of age, sex,
race, and social class. Consequently, moving to a new location with a high percentage of
persons of your same age facilitates the development of new friendships. While you may
not yet be ready for Sun City, such environments do ensure that one has ready access to
people with similar interests and values. However, other factors such as cost and loss of
Summary
In summary, I have only a few final comments. I’ve attempted to emphasize that
retirement is a process, rather than a single occasion in the life of the adult. Throughout
developmental tasks emerge which call for action and resolution if the person is to lead a
Retiring from work does not mean retiring from life. There are many opportunities for
growth, renewal, and self-development during one’s retirement years. The individual who
looks forward to the challenge of meeting these opportunities head on and working
through the accompanying developmental tasks will be happier and healthier. Such a
Finally, two important factors in one’s preparation for, and entry into, retirement are
having accurate preconceptions about what retirement is like, and having a good attitude
toward retirement. I hope that I’ve helped you to clarify some of your perceptions about
retirement this evening. Further, I think that you are all here because you do look forward
to your retirement years. You have a positive view of retirement, and the evidence
strongly suggests that your lives in retirement will be satisfying because you recognize
the potential you have for personal growth in this era of your lives.