When approaching retirement years, some people look ahead eagerly, while others drag their feet with reluctance or dread. After leaving their careers, some feel discontented but some feel more alive than ever. Janette Newhouse, a Radford University human development professor who specializes in gerontology, suggests the degree of a person's happiness in retirement is somewhat predictable. You need enough money so that you're not always struggling, and you need good enough health to be physically independent.
Independence is tied closely to self esteem.
She adds that a third factor, especially important during the older years, is having close relationships that provide a support network. A sense of status, a sense of being needed and a sense of being a contributing member of society all make for satisfaction in late life as much as in early life, says Newhouse. Many times they don't realize how much they have identified themselves by their jobs, and they feel a sense of loss. Other kinds of loss, such as children moving away or the death of a partner, can chink away at one's identity, too. The retirement years are a real rite of passage.