Expert Knowledge and Self-Regulation in Older Adults, Professional and Non-Professional Retirees

Abstract

While various psychosocial variables, involved in post-retirement adaptation, were investigated, enough attention has not been paid to the role of expert knowledge. This research aims to compare life goals of professional and non-professional older adults since their retirement, and to analyze the relationship between the expert knowledge and the self-regulation strategies, in order to empirically evaluate the Berlin Group model. A cross-correlational design was used, with a sample of 258 participants, retirees, divided into two groups: professionals and non-professionals. Differences were found in the selection of life goals between both groups and it became clear that expert knowledge was associated with increased use of optimization and compensation strategies. The non-professional group used the compensation strategy more than the other group, and the professional group presented a significantly higher performance in expert knowledge than the non-professional group. The data obtained can be of use for the design of public policies and programs pre-retirement assistance.