Preretirement influences on postretirement self-esteem

Data derived from in-depth telephone interviews with 300 retired workers from the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina, metropolitan area are used to investigate whether preretirement self-investments in the roles of worker and spouse have positive or negative consequences for postretirement self-esteem. We find evidence that suggests that: (a) self-esteem does not decline in the transition into retirement; (b) commitment to the role of worker and worker identity meanings have a positive influence on postretirement self-esteem; but it may be indirect, operating through preretirement self-esteem; (c) commitment to the role of spouse has a positive impact on self-esteem in retirement; and (d) preretirement self-esteem continues to exert a positive effect on postretirement self-esteem. Thus, the findings suggest that preretirement self and identity factors continue to influence postretirement self-esteem.