Several conceptualizations and definitions of retirement have been proposed. One of them--the three-stage transition process--can be illustrated from studies in Israel: (1) leaving the old role; (2) going through the act of formal separation; and (3) adjusting to the new situation and role. Today's higher rate of survival into later years means…

Recent trends toward earlier retirement have exacerbated the financial problems facing the Social Security system and many other public and private pension plans. The massive commitment of public and private funds to Social Security and pension funds is partly responsible for the trend to early retirement. This, in fact, was one of the early goals…

Because of increases in life expectancy and early retirement, the quality of life during retirement is of concern to many people. Previous research has found that health and adequate income have consistently been related to life satisfaction during retirement. Several satisfaction measures were administered to a group of 55 retired coal miners.…

Older workers face many obstacles to working after age 65. This situation is causing significant problems for the social security system. In light of previous findings that many older workers prefer part-time employment, an intensive study was conducted of the policies of one company and its employees' attitudes. Participants expected to retire at…

Papers included are as follows: "An Overview" (Ross); "The Outlook for Social Security in the Wake of the 1983 Amendments" (Munnell); "The Economics of Aging: Doomsday or Shangrila?" (Schulz); "Retirement Incentives--the Carrot and the Stick. (Why No One Works beyond 65 Anymore)" (Quinn); "Inflation and…

The beginning phases of a preretirement program at San Jose State University, California, are described. The program, initiated through the interdisciplinary gerontology program, entailed group discussions and individual followup and counseling when appropriate. Discussion topics were housing, legal matters, leisure and volunteer work, health, and…

In an effort to demonstrate why good qualitative ethnography must be an equal partner in the process of building scientific knowledge, this study examined how the personal meanings assigned to the public concept of retirement affected the social actions of the elderly when they retired. The public and personal interpretations/meanings workers…

Retirement is a life cycle phase most couples can now expect to experience. Research on retirement has been directed primarily toward the impact of retirement on the retiree, rather than on the marital dyad. Qualitative and quantitative changes that women experience were investigated, with regards to their role as wife in response to their…

A problem with gerontology theory is that it focuses on a social view of the aged, ignoring individual and cultural variables. A person is judged to have aged successfully if he has adjusted to society's definition of an "elderly person." Similarly, most studies of programs and options for the aged reflect the view of the service…

National policy makers have put forth different life cycle planning proposals for the more satisfying integration of education, work and leisure over the life course. This speech describes a decision making scheme, the Time Paradigm, for researched-based choice among various proposals. The scheme is defined in terms of a typology of time-related…

The kind of life led by retired faculty and the benefits of belonging to an Emeritus College are discussed. It is suggested that most retired faculty continue to reside in the communities where they spent many years working. They may use the college library and attend functions at the college. They are candidates for the unique organization that…

Views of decision-makers regarding pre- and post-retirement activities, the sources of information used to learn about older persons, and the impact these sources had on their views about these activities were investigated. Data was gathered from 211 decision-makers that included two subgroups of private sector leaders and two subgroups of public…

A typology of time-related concepts is put forth as a step toward the building of comprehensive theory in aging. The concepts derive from statistics (age, cohort, period effects), the theoretical writings of Sorokin (life course role sequences, durations and rates), the writings of Riley (on the synchronization of life course socialization and…

Gerontologists and others working with the elderly have tended to treat them according to their chronological age. In order to compare retired professionals' perceived expectations of retirement with their subsequent realization, to discover possible discrepancies, and to examine the adequacy of current pre- and post-treatment counseling programs…

Some individuals adjust well to retirement despite few material possessions and health deterioration, while others have many possessions and good health and are still unhappy. To determine the factors that influence an older adult's satisfaction with retirement, a measure of an individual's status was developed, and the resulting questionnaire was…