The "Empty Desk" Syndrome: Determinants of Loneliness and Emotional Transition Among Urban Retirees
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65150/EP-jsshrs/V2E8/2026-01Keywords:
Digital divide, Empty Desk Syndrome, Professional identity, Retirement adjustment, Social networksAbstract
Retirement represents a major life transition that extends beyond the end of employment and requires individuals to adjust to significant psychological and social changes. Despite extensive research on financial preparedness, limited attention has been given to the emotional experiences of urban retirees. This study proposes Empty Desk Syndrome as a new conceptual framework for explaining the emotional transition and loneliness experienced after retirement. The study adopts a conceptual research design based on a structured narrative literature review. The framework was developed through comparative analysis and conceptual synthesis of peer reviewed literature. The review focused on retirement psychology, identity theory, loneliness among older adults and Empty Nest Syndrome. The findings identify three interconnected dimensions underlying Empty Desk Syndrome, namely disrupted daily routines, shrinking social networks and professional identity crisis. The study also identifies the digital divide and established work culture as reinforcing factors that intensify post-retirement adjustment challenges. The proposed framework demonstrates that these dimensions interact dynamically rather than operating independently. By integrating these dimensions into a unified psychosocial model, the framework extends existing retirement literature beyond financial preparedness and single-dimensional explanations of retirement adjustment. It provides a theoretical foundation for future empirical research and offers practical implications for developing comprehensive pre-retirement programmes that integrate financial preparedness with psychological, social and emotional well-being.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Mohamad Murad Mahyudin Muheji (Ph.D.) (Author)
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