Confronting developmental tasks in the retirement transition

Abstract

This paper considers retirement as a widespread developmental transition. It seeks to exploit and advance Erikson's life cycle model, taken as a heuristic device, in three ways: noting major transition challenges between generativity and integrity; distinguishing between tasks and outcomes in such transitions; and viewing such tasks as derived from historical, biological, psychological, and sociocultural realities. Analysis of such realities in the lives of Israeli retirees pointed to four care tasks: active involvement, reevaluation of life satisfaction, reevaluation of a world view, and a sense of health maintenance.