As we discuss in class, our personality is best measured in terms of three domains: traits, context, and internalized stories (life narratives). Because of time constraints, most of our class time focuses on traits and context. However, life narratives are also very important and provide meaning and purpose to life. People tend to think of their life as a story and organize the story in a way that makes sense to them, and peoples stories change over time. People start forming these stories during late adolescence/early adulthood, but the stories have roots in our first attachment experiences. These narratives can be coded for themes. As a way of integrating what weve been talking about in class, you will come up with a brief narrative of your life.
Think about your life as if it were a short story. You can organize it chronologically (e.g., childhood, adolescence, emerging adulthood.) or in terms of memories of important experiences in your life that have shaped your development (e.g., a high point in your life, a low point in your life, a turning point in your life). Organize the story how you see it makes sense of your life. Although this can be a written summary, you can also use other media to describe your story. You can make a collage, write a poem or song, draw a picture, make a PowerPoint, whatever way you feel best presents your experience in your own way. This is an essential part of the class that helps you synthesize course content and relate it to your own lives and experiences. Creativity is encouraged!
