van Solinge Hanna, Ekerdt David J, Henkens Kène
Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute-KNAW, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Department of Sociology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA.
Gerontologist. 2025 May 10;65(6). doi: 10.1093/geront/gnae138.
The busy ethic for retirement, as proposed by Ekerdt (1986, The busy ethic: moral continuity between work and retirement. The Gerontologist, 26(3), 239-244. doi:10.1093/geront/26.3.239), is a prescriptive norm that esteems an occupied, active lifestyle. This research is the first attempt to measure the busy ethic in a standardized way and apply it to a population-based sample. The objectives are to examine whether a busy ethic is affirmed by retirees; to test busy ethic endorsement by different segments of the retired population; and to examine whether endorsement is associated with selected activities.
We developed a scale measuring the busy ethic for a survey among 1,143 Dutch retirees. We tested 2 sets of hypotheses about social factors that might explain subscription to a busy norm: a hypothesis about modernization (i.e., individual autonomy from social control) that would reduce busy ethic endorsement and a hypothesis about differential exposure to expectations.
Greater consent to the busy ethic was associated with circumstances that enable active lifestyles (perceived income adequacy, self-reported health), that raise one's social value (education), and that entail more social connectedness (religious service attendance). Busy ethic agreement was positively associated with engagement in paid work, productive social activities, and group recreation.
We found substantial endorsement of the importance of activity for oneself and others. The idealization of a busy retirement as a good retirement may be a seeming way for retirees to defer old age. At the same time, a prescriptive norm of activation may put strain on older adults who are less capable of conforming.
埃克德特（1986年，《忙碌伦理：工作与退休之间的道德延续性》，《老年学家》，第26卷第3期，第239 - 244页。doi:10.1093/geront/26.3.239）提出的退休忙碌伦理是一种推崇忙碌、积极生活方式的规范性准则。本研究首次尝试以标准化方式衡量忙碌伦理，并将其应用于基于人群的样本。目标是检验退休人员是否认同忙碌伦理；测试退休人群不同群体对忙碌伦理的认可程度；并检验认可是否与特定活动相关。
我们开发了一个衡量忙碌伦理的量表，用于对1143名荷兰退休人员进行调查。我们检验了两组关于可能解释对忙碌规范认同的社会因素的假设：一组关于现代化（即个体从社会控制中获得自主性）的假设，这会降低对忙碌伦理的认可；另一组关于不同期望暴露程度的假设。
对忙碌伦理的更大认同与能够实现积极生活方式的环境（感知到的收入充足、自我报告的健康状况）、提升个人社会价值的因素（教育程度）以及带来更多社会联系的因素（参加宗教活动）相关。忙碌伦理的认同与从事有偿工作、富有成效的社会活动和团体娱乐呈正相关。
我们发现人们对活动对自身和他人重要性的广泛认可。将忙碌的退休生活理想化视为美好的退休生活，可能是退休人员推迟衰老的一种表面方式。与此同时，激活的规范性准则可能会给那些不太能够遵守的老年人带来压力。
