A smaller portion of older adults, however, struggle with new roles, such as becoming a retiree. The Stereotype Embodiment Theory provides an explanation for why role transitions may be difficult for some but not others (Levy, 2009)
Role Transitions Into Old Age Centuries ago, growing old was uncommon and those able to transition into old age were revered by their community as teachers, tribal historians, and sources of wisdom (Nelson, 2005, p
Overall, the authors of this study concluded that it is the amount an individual invested into their work life that determines how smoothly they transition to retirement, with those investing heavily experiencing the greatest difficulty with losses. These findings are consistent with those of a study comparing the retirement experiences of career and non-professional women, with career women identifying more with their former career roles and experiencing the greatest sense of loss with the transition to retirement (Price, 2002)
The imposition of a caregiving role at retirement, however, will preclude workforce reentry. Being a Grandparent Thoughts of growing old often conjure images of becoming a grandparent, but how is this event actually experienced? In general, as a person ages they become less concerned with their age, would prefer to be a younger age, and hope to live longer (Kaufman, & Elder, 2003)
population between 65 and 84 was predicted to increase by over 10%; an even larger increase of 44% was anticipated for those 85 and older." (Barrett & Redmond 328) This further contributes to the idea that aging needs to be provided with more attention from the general public and that individuals need to acknowledge the fact that the number of old people is very probable to increase while society as a whole has an incomplete understanding of the concepts that need to be used with the purpose to make transitions less damaging
"It is possible that current diagnostic criteria and age stereotypes under-represent the true prevalence rates for depression and anxiety in older populations." (Knight & Durbin 11) Older individuals have the tendency to put across feelings that seem different when compared to feelings expressed by their younger counterparts
One can consider five stages when discussing with regard to retirement and the effects it has on an individual: "a growing interest as retirement approaches, initial euphoria, some stress, dealing with adjustments to a new lifestyle, then settling down." (Osborne 47) Osborne's article relates to the early stages of a retirement, as it is during this phase that the person actually acknowledges the difference between his or her old life and the life he or she has in the present
However, most experts, however, say that some form of Social Security payment will always be there, even if it's a smaller check that arrives at a later age. "There's no politician out there that's going to look at the camera and say 'I'm going to cut Social Security benefits entirely" (Braverman, 2015)
Many people also believe that the SS system also works something like a personal account in which the government holds money that you contribute specifically for your retirement. The fact is that Social Security is based on a "pay-as-you-go" system and the taxes that are paid by people who are working today provide the benefits that go to people who are retired (Hinden, 2015)