Rendering post-retirement life satisfactory through productive engagement: A continuity theory perspective

Abstract To advance the understanding of retirement adjustment by examining how pre-retirement work psychological resources shape post-retirement productive engagement and life satisfaction, drawing on continuity theory, we propose and test a model linking pre-retirement occupational self-actualization to later productive engagement and life satisfaction. Using two-wave survey data from retirees aged 50 and older (411 at Time 1; 356 at Time 2), we find that pre-retirement occupational self-actualization positively affects life satisfaction via one type of productive engagement (i.e., volunteering work). Furthermore, when self-continuity perception is higher, the positive relationship between occupational self-actualization and productive engagement (i.e., volunteering work and caring work) are stronger. These findings help to understand the consistency between retirees’ past and present roles as a crucial meaning-making psychological mechanism that sustains the meaning of occupation and promotes productive engagement after retirement.