Post-Retirement Social Adjustment of Military Personnel

Abstract

Introduction The aim of my research is to discover and explore the social, professional and cultural apprehensionsthat the serving military personnel perceive and the similar difficulties that the retired military personnel face and experience along with their families during social adjustment and resocialization back into civilian society post-retirement, from the military life. The significance of my research is that a substantial amount of work on social readjustment of military personnel has been done across the globe, but no work has been done so far in Pakistan, neither in general nor with respect to social adjustment of the retired army personnel in particular. My objectives are to explore the problems and difficulties experienced in postretirement social adjustment by retired officers and to discuss the apprehensionsthat the currently serving officers foresee in the same regard. Furthermore, the research is being conducted to assess the various implications, understand the adjusting strategies and mechanisms adoptedand to gain knowledge of how family decisions are influenced by the retired officers and foreseen by the serving officers in of post-retirement social adjustment. Methods The theme of the research is qualitative in nature as this method of research is more flexible, fosters extemporaneity and focuses on the researcher-subject relationship in an informal manner. The sample has been divided into two strata, the first comprising of the recently retired and longterm retired officers and families, and the second encompassing the currently serving officers who are yet to retire along with their respective families. In-depth/Informal and Semi-structured interviews shall be conducted, consistent with piloting observations and including case studies. The participants hail from the Askari Housing Society and Defense Housing Society located in the twin cities,incorporating both the serving and retired officers along with their family members.