Revitalizing Retirement : Reshaping Your Identity, Relationships, and Purpose

In preparation for retirement, we are often urged to build up our financial portfolio or perhaps down-size our home or move closer to family. Often neglected in this process, however, are the psychological ramifications that come with the transition into retirement. It is important for retirees to make a plan for their retirement financially, but also to take stock of their psychological portfolio at the same time. This means taking an honest look at how your sense of identity will change with retirement, how your relationships and support systems may change, and how your sense of purpose will be affected.

Revitalizing Retirement gives unique guidance on how to create a happy, fulfilling retirement. Nancy K. Schlossberg, a counseling psychologist and author of Retire Smart, Retire Happy, describes the secret to a happy retirement. She encourages readers to reshape their identity, relationships, and purpose. She discusses several coping skills that deal with accepting change and help retirees continue to feel that they are vital members of their community and that they matter.

Each chapter contains stories from actual retirees that demonstrate the numerous ways of pursuing an enjoyable retirement. There are short quizzes and discussion questions at the end of each chapter so that readers can reflect on what they have read and see exactly how it relates to their own lives. This book is a must-read for anyone considering retirement in the near future as well as current retirees who may be struggling to find happiness in their daily lives.

Nancy K. Schlossberg, EdD is an expert in the areas of adult transitions, retirement, career development, adults as learners, and intergenerational relationships. Past President of the National Career Development Association, Co-President of a consulting group TransitionWorks, she is a Professor Emerita, Department of Counseling and Personnel Services, College of Education at the University of Maryland. She previously served on the faculties of Wayne State University, Howard University, and Pratt Institute. She was the first woman executive at the American Council of Education (ACE) where she established the Office of Women in Higher Education (1973). She later served as a Senior Fellow at ACE's Center on Adult Learning.