Chapter 5_Retirement in transition

Approaches to the post-retirement phase of life have undergone considerable change during the last decades. Until the 1970s most people worked until age 65; early exit was due to physical or mental impairment. Retirement marked the beginning of old age, a stage of life characterized by disengagement and loss (Covey, 1988) and by a role-less state (Burgess, 1960). Older persons needed to accept the loss of societal roles to achieve post-retirement well-being (Cumming & Henry, 1961). If they were unable to do so, adjustment problems would result, threatening retirees’ physical and mental health (Bijsterveld, 1995).