Loss of identity

Written by Sarah Davis

The immediate expectation which retirement challenges is that it is desirable and we should immediately be at ease with it. For some this will be the case; for others, less so. It is tedious to field the constant ‘you must be enjoying yourself!’ comment that your former colleagues and friends will make! Not having to go to work every day may be enjoyable in itself, but the loss of status, possibly also of financial independence, and loss of the friendships and activities that go with work, may not be.

The Oxford Social Issues Research Centre recently published a report based on interviews with a broad range of people, about what forms our social identity – our…