Some Personality Factors and
Retirement
I
was recently exploring the Internet looking for material related to retirement
and personality. This is particularly interesting to me because during the late
1970’s and early 1980’s I worked as a registered industrial clinical
psychologist helping both individuals and companies find the right person for
work. Now I am retired and very interested helping others achieve satisfactory
retirement.
A key framework that I used while
working for the company and then in private practice is the model developed by
Alfred Adler. Adler’s idea for
personality explores the relationship between feelings and attitudes about personal
superiority and social
interest as key
factors of our personalities. He defined his theory as Individual Psychology. I will now cite some of the material
from a posting, which incidentally refers “individual psychology’s” influence
on retirement. Within the book Social Interest[i][ii]
Adler states “In trying to decide which single term social interest is the
process by which each individual strives to behave or act in a mentally healthy
way. Indeed social interest equates well with mental health…”
“Retirement
is about dreams and fears and changes, not just money and schedules. One’s
personality therefore is central to preparing for retirement. And while it is hard to find processes
that put it there, and impossible to find ones that do it in a way that fully
integrates with all the financial and non-financial facts and decisions to be
made, there is hope for the future and
there are positive steps we can take right now.” The authors go on to say:
“Notice[iii]:
We do not sell books, or have any financial stake in recommending them. The
subtitle of this book is “The Personality-Based Guide to Your Best Retirement,”
which is a very apt description. We find this to be a unique and important book
– but it is also easy to read and understand, and can even be fun. The authors
begin by discussing retirement in general, and help the reader determine
whether s/he is ready for retirement.
Although their approach to this question is not detailed and sufficient
from a financial point of view, it is well rounded and encourages consideration
of what are widely considered to be the main social issues. Then the book
settles into its main tasks: helping readers determine, understand, and cope
with their “retirement style.” By
this the authors mean a general approach to life and making decisions, which in
turn means a broad personality profile.
They break it down along seven scales:
·
Social
style: outgoing vs.
contemplative
·
Stress
style: responsive
vs. resilient
·
Activity
style: independent vs.
inter-dependent
·
Information
style: practical vs. visionary
·
Outlook
style: optimistic vs. cautious
·
Decision
style:
analytic vs. empathetic
·
Planning
style:
structured vs. flexible
Adler
approached work and retirement in a somewhat different manner. He identified
and developed the basic ideas expressed in this blog entry[iv]. I used his approach to the
understanding of personality during the years I worked as an Industrial
Clinical Psychologist. I still think of myself as an Individual Psychologist,
which is what he called himself and those who used his model.
During
our lives we strive to achieve things, most of which are connected to our
social relationships. In addition during the years of our employment a central
focus is to do the very best job we can to seek perfection. In addition we
generally live and work within various forms of community relationships.
. All of my life I have sought to do my
very best. I have also worked to help others. I believe that I have had these goals since my younger
brother Rodger was born and I started “helping” my mother. At first I did my
best to please her. After a while I did my best because it felt good.
Now
approaching my second year of retirement I must respond to new challenges and
adapt to the world as it changes. I expect that these adjustments will continue
until the end of my life. But let’s
not get too far ahead of ourselves. I am a volunteer for several organizations;
the local senior’s centre and TALK; Third Age Learning at Kwantlen and I canvas
for the Canadian Cancer Society
Also
one of my key activities has the creation of this blog. All of the over 230
posts on my blogspot are dedicated to my goal of doing my very best to help
others who have either retired or are planning to retire. I have had just fewer
than 9500 visits and I intend to continue posting.
The
questions I have asked myself are below. Ask yourself and let
me know it they are helpful:
1.
What goals would you like to achieve during your retirement?
2.
What accomplishments are you most proud of during your
work life?
3.
What social relationships are most important to you?
[i] Featured Website ELDR.com http://www.eldr.com
[ii] Adler A. Social Interest: Adler’s key to the Meaning
of Life
ISBN
978-1-85168-669-8
[iii] My Next Phase, by Eric Sundstrom, Ph.d., Randy
Burnham,
Ph.D.,
and Michael Burnham $24.99 (Springboard Press, 2007)
[iv] Adler,A. (1979).Superiority and Social Interest. George C. McCloud Limited, Toronto ISBN 978-0-392-00910-1
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