DOCUMENT RESUME ED 058 545 AC 012 259 AUTHOR Carp, Frances M., Ed. TITLE The Retirement Process. INSTITUTION National Inst. of Child Health and Human Development (NIH), Bethesda, Md. REPORT NO PHS-Pub-1778 PUB DATE 66 NOTE 177p.z Report of a conference held in Gaithersburg, Md. , December 1966 AVAILABLE FROM Super!,ntendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Of fice, Washington, D. C. 20402($.70) EDRS PRICE MF-$0.65 HC-$6.58 DESCRIPTORS Attitudes; *Conferences; Educational Needs; Health; *Human Development; Labor Force Nonparticipants; *Older Adults; Psychological Needs; *Research; *Retirement; Sex Differences; Social Problems; Social Services ABSTRACT Aconference held to present and discuss new research findings and to consider stategy and tactics for stimulating systematic research on retirement as a normal phase of development is reported. The nine papers, seven of which are followed by discussion reports, presented at the conference are reproduced in this book. The papers and their authors are: "Background and Statement of Purpose" by Frances M. Carp; "Patterns of Psychological Health and Psychiatric Illness in Retirement" by Robert. N. Butler; "Implications for Retirement of Recent Studies on Age and Working Capability" by R. Meredith Belbin; "Patterns of Retirement in San Francisco" by Donald L.. Spence; "Frequency and Nature of Health Problems of Retired Persons; "Differential Patterns of Retirement by Social Class and Personal Characteristics" by Abram J. Jaffee; "Social and Psychological Factors in Adjustment in a Retirement Village" by Maurice B. Hamovitch; "The Allocation of Leisure to Retirement" by Juanity M. Kreps; and "Summary and Prospect" by Frances M. Carp, which describes several research topics that were judged to merit special attention. The conference concludes that the most pressing need is for systematic statements of the retirement process which will guide research toward the bui3ding of theory systems. (DB) 011er1.-.46.- - U S DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. EDUCATION & WELFARE OFFICE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIG INATING IT PONTS OF VIEW OR OPIN IONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF E DU CATION POSITION OR POLICY magaIII Om, III I ME 1 -I 1111 1.1"1 CO in THE RETIREMENT PROCESS CD C3 Lii Report of a Conference December 1966 Gaithersburg, Md. Frances M. Carp, Ph. D., Editor National Institute of Child Health and Human Development National Institutes of Health Bethesda, Md. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION,AND WELFARE Public Health Service , National Institutes of Health National Institute of Child Health andHuman Development Bethesda, Md. 20014 PARTICIPANTS Conference Chairman Maurice B. Hamovitch, Ph. D. Frances M. Carp, Ph. D.' Professor, School of Social Work Health ScientistAdministrator University of Southern California Adult Development andAging Los Angeles, Calif. Branch National Institute of Child Health Abram J. Jaffe, Ph. D. and Human Development Director of Manpower and Popula- Bethesda, Md. tion Program R. Meredith Be !bin, M.D. Bureau of Applied Social Research Columbia University Research Unit in Problems of Indus- trial Retraining New York, N.Y. University College London Juanita M. Kreps, Ph. D. Cambridge, England Associate Professor of Economics Ayers Brinser, Ph. D.' Duke University Professor of Economics Durham, N.C. School of Natural Resources Departmint of Conservation Adrian M. Ostfeld, M.D. University of Michigan Professor of Preventive Medicine Ann Arbor, Mich. College of Medicine University ofIllinoisatChicago Joseph H. Britton, Ph. D. Circle Professor of Human Development Chicago, Ill. The Pennsylvania State University University Park, Pa. Shirley L. Phillips Robert N. Butler, M.D. Acting Training Officer Research Psychiatrist Adult Development and Aging Washington School of Psychiatry Branch Washington, D.C. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Leroy E. Duncan, Jr., M.D. Bethesda, Md. Chief AdultDevelopment andAging Irving Rosow, Ph. D. Branch Professor of Social Work National Institute of Child Health Western Reserve University and Human Development Cleveland, Ohlo Bethesda, Md. Ethel Shanas, Ph. D. Carl Eisdorfer, M.D., Ph. D. Professor of Sociology Director of Training and Research UniversityofIllinoisatChicago Co-ordinator for the Center for Circle the Study of Aging and Human Chicago, III. Development School of Medicine Duke University Durham, N.C. I Deceased. I Present address-- Director, Human Development Research Program American Institutes for Research P.O. Box 1113 Palo Alto, Calif. 94302. III Dedication Ayers Brinser made a particularly stimulating contributionto the conference and to this volume in his emphasison the positive value of retirement by defining itas a, form of production. His formula for differentiating retirement from unemployment anticipatesthe next step toward systematic investigation of the retirementprocessthe development of conceptual models to guide investigation.Those who move ahead with this task will feel the loss of Dr. Brinser's keen insight, his readiness p,nd capacity tocross disciplinary lines, his in- tense involvement with the task at hand, and hiswarm and generous self. Acknowledgments The men andwomen who participated in this conference and re- ported on its proceedingsare among the busiest on earth. The con- ference was called with little notice, andthe manuscript preparation schedule was a tight one. As taskmaster, I much appreciatethe con- sistent cooperation, the unfailing goodnature, and the capacity to find time in overcrowded schedules whichwere exhibited by every member of the group. My special thanks go to Wilma Donahue, EthelShanas, Clark Tibbitts, and Walter Spieth, who read drafts ofchapters 1 and 15. Their criticisms resulted in significant improvements.Unfortunately, ii, was not possible to take advantage of allof their stimulating sug- gestions. I hope that each one of the four will, in thenear future. expound his own ideas in the written forum. Researchon retirement will be significantly advanced and enriched. I also wish to thank the several petsons who efficientlyand cheer- fully assisted the authors and editor with preparationof the bibli- ography and manuscript. TRANCES M. CARP) Editor vli Foreword This hook reports a conference held by theAdult Development and Aging Branch of the National Institute of ChildHealth and Human Development (NICHD),one of the National Institutes of Health. NICHD is concerned with the biological and psychologicalprocesses that transform the individualas he passes from conception to old age and with the interactions of the changingindividual and society. The present series of conferenceson retirement initiated by Dr. Frances Carp is an expression of the interest ofNICHD in the prob- lems of the elderly and in the phase of life thatin our culture is usually coincident with retirement. LEROY E. DUNCAN, Jr., M.D. Chief Adul& Development and Aging Branch National Institute of Child Health and Human Development ix Pre;ace In the summer of 1966, the Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Dr. Donald Harting,1 pro- posed as a focus for the Adult Development and Aging Branch the transition stage in later maturity which is approximately coincident with retirement from work. Dr. Harting's suggestion grew out of the Institute's desire to stimulate research in adult development and ag- ing, and to make explicit its mandate for the support of behavioral as well as biological science approaches. In the fall of that year, Drs. James Birren, Joseph Britton, and Ethel Shanas met with members of the staff to evaluate the suggestion and to consider possibilities for its implementation. Ther,e consultants considered the topic to be closely relevant to the mission of the In- stitute and to merit the highest priority. The group recommended a series of conferences of workshops and immediate dissemination of conference outcomes, when meritorious, to tho research community. Conferences permit the exchange of new findings and provide stimulation to participants. However, they can affect directly only a limited number of investigators, and primarily those already committed to research in. the area. Publication will pre- sent a larger audience of investigators with research ideas,provide them with conceptual formulations to guide the design and interpre- tation. of their studies, and put into their hands the latest tools and techniques. As a general rule, elch conference should focus on a specifictopic or problem within the general domain ofinterest. However, the advi- sory group recommended that the interestsof the Institute would be served best by a different format for the opening session. Its aims were to alert investigators to the interest of the Institute, toinform them of the most recent work in the general area, and to obtain a broader base of advice regarding tactics and strategy most appropriate to theInsti- tute goal of stimulating systematic research onretirement as a phase of human development. Therefore the tentative list ofparticipants was compiled to give wide coverage by disciplines and by topics;nomina- tions took into account competence in. research and interestin this phase of the lifespan. Papers were selected because theypresented new I Now with the Family Planning Project, American Public HealthAssociation. xl data or new analyses of old data which deserved discussion and publication. As a result, the table of contents does not reflect