Retirement and Leisure Participation: Continuity or Crisis?

Abstract

The results of several studies of retirement suggest that identity continuity theory is more widely applicable than identity crisis theory in explaining the relationship between retirement and leisure participation. There remains, however, a strong need for studies that encompass the wide geographic social and psychological diversity of the older population in order to more firmly establish this finding. Practically speaking, it may be more profitable to consider leisure participation in retirement as a source of satisfaction to be freely utilized rather than as a trauma to be avoided.