Occupational Attachment and Met Expectations as Predictors of Retirement Adjustment of Naval Officers 1 M A T 2 Clemson University K S. S  P E. S California State University, San Bernardino R F. M Navy Personnel Research and Development Center J G Maryville College Attachment to one’s former occupation and met expectations regarding retirement were proposed as predictors of the adjustment of military retirees. While results suggested that occupational attachment had a minimal impact, the extent to which expectations of civilian work, financial, and family aspects of life were met emerged as significant predictors of satisfaction and adjustment after military retirement. These findings suggest that the characteristics of the post-retirement environment, and expectations regarding this environment, outweigh the importance of occupa- tional attachment in determining post-retirement adjustment in this setting. Work plays a significant role in the self-worth of most individuals and is a prominent part of life (Greller & Stroh, 1995; Lim, 2003). While people differ in the extent of the centrality of work in their lives, changes in the work role inherent in retirement carry consequences for personal adjustment, retirement satisfaction, and pre-retirement anxiety (Price, 2003). Early research on retirement adjustment focused on the financial and health- oriented aspects of retirement. Recently, however, researchers have also sought to understand the psychosocial changes that accompany the transi- tion (Barnes-Farrell, 2003). One way to frame the retirement adjustment process is by using role theory as a guide. Within this approach, individuals are viewed as having specific roles in life (Austrom, Perkins, Damush, & Hendrie, 2003; George, 1990). These roles consist of the activities and behaviors that characterize an 1 The data used in our analyses were collected between 1976 and 1995 by the Navy Personnel Research and Development Center. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors, are not official, and do not reflect the views of the Department of the Navy. 2 Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Mary Anne Taylor, Department of Psychology, 418 Brackett Hall, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634-1355. E-mail: Taylorm@Clemson.edu 1697 Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 2007, 37, 8, pp. 1697–1725. © 2007 Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2007 Blackwell Publishing, Inc.