Retirement, Personality, and Life Satisfaction: A Review and Two Models

Abstract

This article reviews the literature of life satisfaction in retirement, focusing on the retiree's personality. Personality effects are examined in a context including other determinants of life satisfaction: involuntary retirement, stress, health, finances, and activities, and issues of control and adaptivity are explored. Heuristic models specifying direct and indirect effects of personality traits on life satisfaction in retirement are proposed. The models are based on the findings reviewed and on a variety of theories, including five-factor personality theory, stress theory, and attachment theory. Directions for retirement counseling, planning, and research are suggested.