9 Retirement and Reinvention 243Typical and Maturational Changes/Losses
Loss of or Change in One’s Belief System: The Importance of Spiritual Growth
During this phase of life, grappling with the significance of one’s own life as
well as other existential questions may lead to reassessment and/or deepening
of spirituality. Although the adult has typically lived a long lifespan at retire-
ment, she or he still has many years left to live. For some adults, formalized
religion becomes an important part of this, while for others, solitude and/
or therapy help deepen one’s sense of self. Schlossberg (2009) believes that
retirement presents a unique opportunity for reexamination of life and that
the spiritual journey can be very rewarding for those adults who join a spiri-
tual community, practice yoga, or meditate. For many, a turn inward involves
increased solitude which can be difficult when emerging from a busy life with
family and work. Although silence and diminished activity can be frightening,
it can also provide an environment where the adult is able to confront issues
that she or he may have avoided for years (Trafford, 2004).
Psychospiritual growth often emanates from discomfort, fear, and
loss. At retirement, the future beckons but is unknown and living with the
unknown becomes necessary. Although adults cannot deny sorrow in their
lives, their hope that they will find a meaningful path for their lives helps to
keep them centered and satisfied. Part of the spiritual agenda for this phase of
life is finding the hope one needs to live fully in the next decade(s) and hope
to find one’s way along a new path. Just as with other losses and transitions
presented in this text, the opportunity for meaning-making can lead to new
growth and development. Many adults are finding that engaging in yoga or
some other meditative experience is helpful to them during this phase. Many
hospitals and wellness centers have designed courses in meditation for adults.Changes Within the Marital/Partner Relationship
For most couples, the transition to the retirement years marks a time of major
adjustment. For some marriages/partnerships, the retirement experience
impacts the relationship in a positive way and for others it has a negative influ-
ence. Loretto and Vickerstaff (2013) report that the meaning of retirement dif-
fers for men and women. For men, retirement is often perceived as a reward
and time for making up the time they had lost with their family during their
work life. For women, retirement was perceived freedom from the stress of
combining work and domestic responsibilities (Loretto & Vickerstaff, 2013).
For the majority of men, work has been continuous. In contrast, for
many women, work histories are discontinuous because they have moved
in and out of the workforce more frequently due to family responsibilities.
It is the authors’ belief that when women have not been in the workforce,
they have been more able to assess their interests in leisure time activities
and may also have built more lifelong friendships due to rearing children
and having opportunities to build relationships with other mothers. In
some ways, this could give women an advantage in the reinvention process