title: The nature and meaning of identity in retired professional women.
abstract: Through this study we sought to understand the complex experience of retirement and the meaning of identity for women who recently retired from a professional career. Through the use of qualitative methods, including photo elicitation, journaling, and a series of two in-depth interviews with each of six women, a fluid description of the meaning of identity among a small, homogenous sample of retired professional women was constructed. Salient themes included consistency of significant identity components from work to retirement, importance of social connectedness, engagement in continued learning; involvement in aspects of former work roles, and the importance of helping others.
authors: a Department of Applied Health Sciences , Indiana State University , Terre Haute , IN.
authors: Lisa
authors: L
authors: Borrero
authors: Tina M
authors: TM
authors: Kruger
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004496:Education, Continuing; D005260:Female; D006379:Helping Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D024382:Professional Role / Q000523:psychology; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012179:Retirement / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept
keywords: aging; career; identity; professional; retirement; women; work