Five-factor model personality traits and the retirement transition: longitudinal and cross-sectional associations.
The authors examined associations between 5-factor personality traits and retirement in a diverse community sample. Longitudinal analyses (n = 367) compared personality trajectories of participants who remained employed and participants who retired. Personality at baseline did not predict future retirement, but compared to participants who remained employed, retirees increased in Agreeableness and decreased in Activity, a facet of Extraversion. In cross-sectional analyses among retirees (n = 144), those low in Neuroticism and high in Extraversion reported higher retirement satisfaction, and those high in Extraversion reported higher postretirement activity levels. Findings suggest that the trait perspective contributes to the understanding of the retirement process.
Löckenhoff
Corinna E
CE
Laboratory of Personality and Cognition, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, USA. cel72@cornell.edu
Terracciano
Antonio
A
Costa
Paul T
PT
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D015142:Baltimore; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005120:Extraversion, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012179:Retirement