The Psychology of Retirement: Coping with the Transition from Work

Incorporating the latest research and well–established theories concerning how individuals adapt to retirement, The Psychology of Retirement is the first text of its kind to draw on proven psychological coping strategies. These strategies are described in the context of retirement, which is often an eagerly awaited respite from the working life, but which is too often a surprisingly stressful life event for which individuals are ill–prepared The self–help approach draws extensively on case studies of the personal experiences of retired individuals and the author’s professional understanding, grounded in his work as a Clinical Psychologist with adults in Britain’s National Health Service over the past 30 years. The book is a primer on coping with retirement by highlighting core issues and challenges, identifying positives, suggesting options, and encouraging an optimistic and constructive approach to this vital transition, complementing the traditional emphasis on the physical as well as the financial aspects of retirement. The result is a guide allowing readers to gain a better understanding of the psychological realities of retirement, and which clearly illuminates the most effective strategies for coping with the transition.

About this Book and Author ix Acknowledgments xi 1. The Surprises of Retirement 1 2. Understanding Retirement 29 3. Reframing Retirement 55 4. Relating in Retirement 79 5. Supporting Retirement 99 6. Learning from Life 119 7. Learning for Life 139 8. Conclusions 159 Notes 177 Recommended Reading 187 Index 189

Derek Milne retired as the Director of the Newcastle University Doctorate in Clinical Psychology training programme in 2012. In addition to practicing as a clinical psychologist within the National Health Service (including work with older adults) and teaching within Higher Education, he has occupied the related roles of coach, sport and exercise psychologist, trainer, researcher, mentor and organizational consultant. He is the author of Wiley’s Evidence Based Clinical Supervision (2009).

“His rambling is marvellous, and clearly brought him pleasure. ”  ( International Psychogeriatrics , 1 January 2014) “As such, the book is not a source for researchers; the book is, however, a valuable addition to the self–help retirement literature that is mainly focused on financial planning for retirement.”  ( Australasian Journal on Ageing , 17 June 2013) “In his clearly–written and thought–provoking new book, recently retired clinical psychologist, Derek Milne, helps to explain the issues facing those in retirement and presents practical solutions to deal with the sometime traumatic aspects of having a lot more time on our hands .  . . The result is a book that is both intriguing and instructive.”  ( Mature Times , 25 February 2013) “Incorporating the author’s personal experience, real–life case studies, the latest research and well–established theories, The Psychology of Retirement provides many insights and much food for thought concerning the nature of retirement and the new challenges and opportunities it represents.”  ( In My Prime , 1 February 2013) “This book explicitly reframes retirement not as the retreat from the world of work but as a transition from paid employment to a new life phase, with new challenges and opportunities. Milne makes the point that it is important to take the transition to retirement seriously. He estimates that approximately one quarter of people who retire will experience it as a stressful, complicated transition and the book is intended to provide a ‘recipe’ for managing this.” ( Therapy Today , June 2013) Featured In Men′s Hour BBC Radio 5