Take our Positive Aging Test

Find a therapist specialized in aging concerns

Retirement includes components of social interaction, independence, and identity rebuilding.

Retirement involves transitioning identity and the search for a new sense of meaning.

New roles such as mentorship can increase a sense of competence and self-worth.

New social contacts facilitate new identity building.

For many working people, career choice involves both income and identity. Many employees have worked within a single industry most of their lives, others have remained with the same company. Over time, particularly for employees who experience fulfillment and pride in what they do, occupation becomes identity. The personal investment in one’s choice of career enhances occupational commitment and concept of self. Yet when retirement day arrives, many employees feel lost, unsettled, and surprisingly anxious. Preparing to leave a career where someone has spent so much of their life leads them to ask, “What now?” Thankfully, there are ways to prepare for a soft landing—and for the next adventure.

After the Retirement Party: Same Individual, New Life

Anastasia Fadeeva et al. (2025) studied the factors that impact the transition from working to retirement.[i] Focusing on positive adaptation and adjustment, the........

© Psychology Today