Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, Vol 51, Issue 5 S242-S249, Copyright © 1996 by The Gerontological Society of America
Preretirement influences on postretirement self-esteem
DC Reitzes, EJ Mutran and ME Fernandez
Department of Sociology, Georgia State University, USA. socdcr@panther.gsu.edu
Data derived from in-depth telephone interviews with 300 retired workers
from the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina, metropolitan area are
used to investigate whether preretirement self- investments in the roles of
worker and spouse have positive or negative consequences for postretirement
self-esteem. We find evidence that suggests that: (a) self-esteem does not
decline in the transition into retirement; (b) commitment to the role of
worker and worker identity meanings have a positive influence on
postretirement self-esteem; but it may be indirect, operating through
preretirement self-esteem; (c) commitment to the role of spouse has a
positive impact on self-esteem in retirement; and (d) preretirement
self-esteem continues to exert a positive effect on postretirement
self-esteem. Thus, the findings suggest that preretirement self and
identity factors continue to influence postretirement self-esteem.
