What type of emotional transition is experienced by professional dancers who face the end of their career? What does this journey imply? This article discusses the transition experiences of two case studies out of a total sample of fourteen (N=14) international professional ballet dancers who left their careers between the ages of 21 and 49 years. By adopting tenets of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis and Grounded Theory, the analysis of semi-structured interviews is presented as evidence of the discussion. The article raises questions about the theoretical implications behind the concept of retirement and helps to gain an understanding of some of the intricate and hidden issues involved in what seems to be quite a complex area of psychological and social enquiry. It attempts to nurture different thoughts on the subjects of transitions, re-training, re-employment and their relation to career change development and lifelong learning.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AaronH. (1999). Behavioural dimensions of retirement economics. Washington DC: Brookings Institution Press.
2.
AndersonM.LiY.BechhoferF.McCroneD.StewartR. (2000). Sooner rather than later? Younger and middle aged adults preparing for retirement. Ageing & Society, 20, 445–466.
3.
BarnesH.ParryJ. (2004). Renegotiating identity and relationships: Men and women's adjustments to retirement. Age & Society, 24, 213–233.
4.
BaruchY. (2004). Transforming careers: from liner to multidirectional career paths. Career Development International, 9, 58–73.
5.
CorbinJ.StraussA. (1990). Grounded theory method: procedures, canons and evaluative criteria. Qualitative Sociology, 13, 3–21.
6.
DisneyR. E.JohnsonP. (1997). The dynamics of retirement. Department of Social Security Research, Report 72.
7.
EkerdtD. J.HackneyJ.KoslovskiK.DeVineyS. (2001). Eddies in the stream: The prevalence of uncertain plans for retirement. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 56, S162–S170.
8.
EkerdtD. J.KoslovskiK.DeVineyS. (2000). The normative anticipation of retirement by older workers. Research on Ageing, 22, 3–22.
9.
FolkamS.LazarusR. S.PimleyS.NovacekJ. (1987). Age differences in stress and coping processes. Psychology and Aging, 2, 171–184.
10.
GrattanP. (2005). Key data on age, demographic and employment. TAEN (online article), Available at: http://www.taen.org.uk/publications [Retrieved: October 20, 2005].
11.
HoltN. L.DunnJ. G. (2004). Longitudinal idiographic analyses of appraisal and coping responses in sport. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 5, 213–222.
12.
HockeyJ.JamesA. (2003). Social identities across the life course. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
13.
HopsonB. (1981). Response to the papers by Schlossberg. Counseling Psychologist, 9, 36–39.
14.
HopsonB.AdamsJ. D. (1976). Towards an understanding of transition: defining some boundaries of transition. In AdamsJ.HayesJ.HopsonB. (Eds.) Transitions: Understanding and managing personal change (pp. 3–25). London: Martin Robertson.
15.
HopsonB.ScallyM.StaffordK. (1992). Transitions: The challenge of change. Oxfordshire: Mercury Book LTD.
16.
JeffriJ. (2005). After the ball is over. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 11, 3, 341–355.
KerrG.DacyshynA. (2000). The retirement experiences of elite female gymnasts. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 12, 115–133.
19.
LavalleeD.WyllemanP. (2000) (Eds.). Career transitions in sport: International perspectives. (pp. 89) Morgantown WV: Fitness Information Technology.
20.
LavalleeD. (2005). The effect of a life development intervention on sports career transition adjustment. The Sport Psychologist, 19, 193–202.
21.
ParitzkyA. B. (1995). How dancers leave dancing: A hermeneutic investigation of the psychosocial factors in career change. Dissertation Abstracts International, 56, 829A.
22.
ParkesC. M. (1972). Psycho-social transitions: A field for study. London: Tavistock.
23.
ParkesC. (1995). Guidelines for conducting ethical bereavement research. Death Studies, 19, 171.
24.
PattonW.McMahonM. (Eds.). (2001). Career development programs: Preparation for lifelong career decision making. Camberwell, Victoria: ACER.
25.
PattonW.McMahonM. (2006). The system theory framework of career development and counselling: Connecting theory and practice. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling. (Online article). Available at: http://eprints.qut.edu.au/archive/00002621/01/2621.pdf. [Retrieved: July 26, 2007].
26.
RoncagliaI. (2004). The retirement process: a developmental phase in the life course of ballet dancers. (Paper presented at the BPS Consciousness & Experiential Section Annual Conference: ‘Science, Self & Meaning’, September, 2004).
27.
RoncagliaI. (2006). Retirement as a career transition in ballet dancers. International Journal of Educational and Vocational Guidance, 6, 181–193.
28.
SchlossbergN. K. (1981). A model for analysing human adaptation to transition. The Counselling Psychologist, 9, 2–18.
29.
SealeC. (2002). Quality issues in qualitative inquiry. Qualitative Social Work, 1, 97–110.
30.
ShanahanM. J.PorfelliE. (2002). Integrating the life-span: formulating research questions with dual points of entry. Journal of Vocational Behaviour, 61, 398–406.
31.
SmithJ. A. (2004). Reflecting on the development of interpretative phenomenological analysis and its contribution to qualitative research in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 1, 39–54.
32.
SmithJ. A.OsbornM. (2003). Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. In SmithJ. A. (Ed.), Qualitative Psychology: A Practical Guide to Research Methods (pp. 51–79). London: Sage.
33.
StephanY.TorregrosaM.SanchezX. (2007). The body matters: Psychophysical impact of retiring from elite sport. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 8, 73–83.
34.
StephanY.BilardJ.NinotG.DelignieresD. (2003). Bodily transitions out of elite sport: A one-year study of physical self and global self-esteem among transitional athletes. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2, 192–207.
35.
StroebeW.StroebeM. S. (1995). Social psychology and health. Buckingham: Open University Press.
36.
TaylorJ.OgilvieB. C. (1994). A conceptual model of adaptation to retirement among athletes. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 6, 1–20.
37.
TaylorP. G. (2000). Exploring the roles of grief and grieving in coping with lifelong change. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 19, 525–534.
38.
WeberM. (1930). The protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism. London & Boston: Unwin Hyman. Translated: ParsonsTalotGiddensAnthony.
39.
WyllemanP.AlfermannD.LavalleeD. (2004). Career transitions in sport: European perspectives. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 5, 7–20.
