Has anyone come across an established procedure to select "retirees" from survey data? From a literature review I've learned that the definitions used differ considerably from each other, e.g.:
- shift from receiving wages or benefits to drawing pensions PLUS not having reentered the labor force afterwards (e.g. Pinquart & Schindler, 2007)
- report of working less than 35 hours a week in primary job
PLUS agreed to being “retired” (e.g. Reitzes & Mutran, 2006)
- claim to have retired PLUS not having returned to full-time employment (e.g. Fitzpatrick et al. 2005)
However, I have not come across a justification for these definitions. What is your experience?
Aging & Retiremennt
Dr. Mirza Arshad Ali Beg
Retirement is a component of the management strategy to maintain dynamism in the governance system. Its aim is to maintain continuity, introducing new ideas in the meantime.
A major postulate of the Oxidative Dehydration Theory of aging is that stresses which create a disturbance in the microenvironment and give rise to Dehydration at the site are responsible for slowing down the functions of the site concerned.
The causes and effect of stresses are both known in material sciences to be quantitatively interrelated. Stresses in materials are due to physical forces that can be quantified which in living systems seem to be the result of physical or external and internal or psychological reactions of the organism with the physical environment. The latter are difficult to quantify because of the host of complicating factors that make up the forces to which the organism has to respond, only a few of the same are known, while a lot many remain unresolved.
The interesting part which is very pertinent to the theory is that in both cases the effect initiated at the microenvironment spreads over the macroenvironment; it then appears as aging and disease at the concerned part of the system,in this case brain
Human system has the ability to observe and transmit stresses, through its superior central nervous system into the endocrine glands. The adjustment process demands considerable amount of extra energy for operation for the psyche and the high demand on the system leads to accelerated aging. This is one of the main reasons for the slow rate of aging of bodies maintaining a balance between input of energy - throughput for maintaining life processes - output to obtain work.
Living systems have to adjust to constraints according to the set principles to respond to stresses and for conservation as well as maintenance of tissue needs. The adjustment process which generates stress metabolites observed among plants, animals and mankind, concentrates at the microsite and slow down in their removal wears out the strained parts of the body and gives rise to aging earlier than normal.
Aging process sets in when the input - output ratio is unfavourably altered for more work. Females may succumb to higher demand earlier than males while those contributing muscular power may age earlier than those involved in mental work.
In view of the above it is the management of the governance system that sets the age limit when its personnel may be slowing down or contributing the most. It was suggested in an earlier post that Academia is a value added commodity and if they are continuing to contribute they should be encouraged by providing opportunity to continue. At a certain age they themselves do not want to get involved in administrative matters. They would at a certain age like to be left alone and that should be considered the age for getting them aside or along side and such a move of getting him or her along side but not outside should be seriously considered before the person reaches the age when he considers himself tired.
Mirza Arshad Ali Beg
Former Director General, PCSIR, Karachi
Hi Anna,
I agree with Reitzes & Mutran' s definition. However, I would add the 3 options of Retirement Decision - full retirement - no jobs at all; partially retirement - working more than 20 hours a week - could be a bridge employment; and continuing working - people who are eligible for retirement but opt to continue working full time - they should not be considered as retirees. I hope this helps in selecting your data.
Cheers
Lucia França, PhD
Professor at The University Salgado de Oliveira - Rio de Janeiro, in Graduate Studies in Psychology
Dear Anna, Mizra and Lucia,
Thank you for your interesting and informative comments.
In the U.S. there has been an ongoing population study for several years. It is called the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). You should check how they defined retirement because the people who developed this and who have worked with it for years, were experts in this field.
Take care,
peter
See for instance: Bonsang E, Adam S, Perelman S. Does retirement affect cognitive functioning? JHealth Econ. 2012;31(3):490-501.:
"The retirement variable
There are many definitions of retirement. For the purpose of our analysis, we followLazear (1986) and define an individual as being retired if he/she is definitively out of the labour force with the intention of staying out permanently. Akin to Coe and Zamarro (2011), Mazzonna and Peracchi (2010), and Rohwedder and Willis (2010), an individual is defined as “Working” if he/she claims to be currently working for pay and “Retired” if he/she reports not working."
Best wishes,
Kasper Jørgensen
Hi Anna, I am a gerontologist and aging expert. Retirement patterns are changing. People "retire" and often go to another career if they are able and if they want to. Some people are on their fourth career! Stepdown or gradual retirement is gaining in popularity. Some people are involuntarily retired. There is SO much I need to tell you but not enough space here. Please go to my blog and search on "retire" and you will find some articles there. One of the more credible resources is the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. crr.bc.edu
My working definition of retirement: Living without a paycheck.
My blog agedoc.blogspot.com
Jan Vinita White, PhD, Gerontologist
For a review of the literature on this issue see one of our earlier works. Best wishes, Andrew
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275303302_Retirement_Plans_and_Pensions_An_Empirical_Study
Article Retirement Plans and Pensions: An Empirical Study
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