Identity incongruence and negotiation in the transition from work to retirement: A theoretical model

In an aging society, dealing with the disengagement from one’s work-related identity and thequality of retirement adjustment become major concerns for individuals and organizations.However, the processes through which retirement adjustment can be achieved and upon whichconditions this depends are only partially understood, especially regarding identity transitionprocesses. To address this issue, we suggest that identity incongruence, identity transitionnegotiation, and the variety of high-quality exchange relationships represent key factors thatexplain the different experiences in retirement adjustment quality. Integrating social identity, self-categorization, identity negotiation, and interpersonal perspectives, we develop a theoreticalmodel with 12 propositions highlighting the dynamic changes in identity incongruence across timeand the possible coexistence of the work-related identity and the retiree identity. We also discussthe potential boundary conditions of the model, outline directions for future research, and suggestpractical implications at the individual and organizational levels