A narrative approach to adult age experiences

Abstract

This article studies the experiences of a group of adults by means
of a half-structured interview. The purpose is to detemzine the areas of personal and social development from the perspective of the life cycle theory. The methodological framework is the narrative approach, which facilitates the descriptive and interpretative use of adults' experiences. In this approach, the act of recounting our experiences makes cornmunication easier and gives meaning to our lives, and also opens up new areas of personal development. This study groups and summarizes data under three main areas: life history, personal integrity and generative concern. These three broad areas have been represented by three charts or life histories (in the first case) and by conceptual maps (in the second and third cases) with their respective categories.