“I don’t Ever Think of You as Retiring, Just Changing Your Passion”: Memorable Messages About Retirement Among Older Adults

Retiring is a lifespan process in that it reflects organizational learning that occurs over time. The memorable messages that older adults recall about retirement provide insight into how they are making sense of this approaching life phase. This mixed-methods study explored memorable messages about retirement reported by not yet retired older adults (n = 188 participants aged 50+) in terms of their content (e.g., more control over time, a change of focus). Analyses revealed connections between memorable message themes and the extent to which they were associated with participant-reported efficacy and positivity about retirement. Finally, associations between participant-reported efficacy and positivity and researcher-coded message valence were also found. Findings offer important practical and theoretical implications.