238 Grief and Loss Across the Lifespan
the second model, retirement loses its characteristic of a distinctive stage with
prescribed institutional supports and meanings. It is an ongoing part of life.
The readings at the end of this chapter reflect these models. Bill and Jean
have adopted retirement as a well-defined period occurring after shifting from
paid employment prior to “retirement age” to now engaging in meaningful
work (whether paid or unpaid). Jean intends to stay active in social change
and is part of the Granny Peace Brigade which she helped to create several
years ago. Bill took on a part time paid position after he retired because it
seemed so attractive to work in his field with a very good friend. Both Jean and
Bill are fulfilled during this time of life with rewarding work, travel, leisure
time activities, and learning.
Marcia and Norma both demonstrate characteristics of the second model
as they both diverged from viewing retirement as a distinct period of time,
wanting a very different life quite unrelated to the careers they had chosen.
Both Marcia and Norma are heavily involved with meaningful volunteer work
that provides them with great satisfaction. They are also both committed to
a spiritual community, as Norma participates in the synagogue choir as well
as many other activities at the synagogue, while Marcia practices yoga reg-
ularly with a group. These are new ways of understanding the move from
a life defined by work to one that is defined by the activities one pursues.
Although predicated on having enough financial resources, even those with
minimal financial resources are moved out of the workforce at a certain stage
and nearly all experience the losses and transitions identified in the following.LOSSES EXPERIENCED BY THE ADULT DURING RETIREMENT AND REINVENTION
Loss and Transformation of Identity
Similar to other life transitions, identity is revised once again. Leaving a job
or career involves multiple transitions and leads to a life qualitatively differ-
ent from one’s working life (Schlossberg, 2004, 2009). It involves much more
than ceasing to work; it means the loss of one’s work identity, lifestyle, and
structure of interpersonal relationships. Similar to an adolescent, an adult in
this transition period has to “break away from traditional adulthood the way
teenagers break away from childhood” (Trafford, 2004, p. xxi). Some experts
believe that an important driver in this process is to listen to oneself and to
others and to use instinct and intuition to identify what feeds the core self
(Corbett, 2007). In transitioning one’s identity, the adult in this phase of life is
rediscovering his or her passions. The Transition Network urges women (and
this applies to all genders) to consider childhood dreams and to look for ways
to rekindle dreams by pursuing something that intrigued one earlier in life.
In our first edition of Grief and Loss Across the Lifespan, Linda was grieving
the loss of her past work identity, missing her past career successes, and the
recognition she experienced when working in the arena of corporate sales and
training. Linda also missed her job title, her paycheck, and the status that her
earlier corporate career had afforded. For Bill, whose story is included among
those at the end of this chapter, leaving work was emotionally difficult as his
self-worth was tied up with his work identity; his friendships were also work