The concept and the process of retirement are rapidly evolving. As a result, psychologists are in a unique position to understand and explain the dynamics behind the changing face of retirement. We begin this article with a brief overview of the history of retirement and then note the various definitions used when studying retirement. We then…

This study examined a total of 140 elderly Chinese from China and the United States to investigate the relationship between attitude toward aging, daily activities, general health, education, and other demographics and rated creativity as measured by collage making and storytelling. The result of this study shows that creativity declines with age.…

The rapid aging of the workforce in most developed countries, and the strengthening presence of bridge employment among older employees, has brought about a need for a deeper theoretical and practical understanding of this employment phenomenon. This study examined the concept of bridge employment from a continuity theory and life course…

Retirement is viewed as a passage that can result in psychological, physiological, and economic problems among some retirees. Adequate preparation for retirement through preretirement education, as practiced in the Western-European societies, has been found to ease transition into retirement and adjustment in retirement. Preretirement education is…

Regardless of their marital status earlier in life, most women can expect to be single for some of their old age. In addition, older single women often have reduced resources. Many women now face situations unlike their expectations when they chose their life courses. Such a situation is shared by a unique community of Catholic sisters. Changes in…

A study was conducted in Hawaii to determine the status of elderly persons in regard to employment, as well as attitudes toward employment of the elderly, defined in this study as aged 55 and over. Elderly persons aged 65 and over are the fastest growing segment of Hawaii's population, projected to increase from 73,700 in 1980 to 141,000 in 2000.…

Two Commission of European Communities surveys of people over age 15 and of those over 60 demonstrated a widespread belief that older people deserve public support and services and face employment discrimination. Socioeconomic factors influenced older people's sense of security and life satisfaction. Positive intergenerational attitudes appeared.…

Because of the knowledge explosion in the field of gerontology and the increased coverage of the field in the popular press, a study was conducted to determine how accurate older adults and gerontologists think newspaper stories about aging are. A convenience sample of 95 persons in the midwest over 65 years old--similar to national demographic…

The negative stereotype of the aged vanishes when older adults are educated, affluent, and healthy. Anecdotal replies indicated many older adults are satisfied with their lives, do not feel old or useless, and feel activity is the key to happiness. (Author/JAC)

In this study, researchers surveyed 94 recent retirees. Results supported previous studies which categorized retirement into four modes of experience: (1) Transition to Old Age; (2) New Beginning; (3) Continuation; and (4) Imposed Disruption. Striking gender differences emerged among those surveyed, particularly the finding that, compared to men,…

This article addresses the international community's differing attitudes on mandatory retirement. The authors explored various factors, such as sociodemographics and political ideology and the latter's predictive value for attitudes on compulsory retirement. Education proved the strongest sociodemographic predictor. Most Americans opposed mandated…

A study compared the attitudes of a group of about 60 elderly rest home residents and about 120 members of two different clubs for older adults in New Zealand. The five 1-hour discussions that were held with the adults indicated a consistent difference between the opinions expressed by the rest home clients and those of the club members, all of…

The model of aging that people construct influences interpretations of and responses to actual situations when they occur, as well as preparatory actions that people take. Thus the question of what people foresee for themselves and the process by which they construct and revise this subjective aging trajectory has implications for such issues as…