A qualitative analysis of life script events in a Brazilian sample
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15448/1980-8623.2018.4.30122Keywords:
Life experiences, Autobiographical memory, Life-scripts.Abstract
Life scripts are shared cultural expectations about a selected group of events that occur during the life of a common individual in a certain culture. Life scripts are, therefore, normative expectations within a given culture regarding individual life patterns. We conducted a thematic analysis on 2,688 life script events indicated by 384 adults, mostly from the south and southeast regions of Brazil (70.3 women %). Following previous studies, we identified 74 events, or groups of events, common to other cultures; 30 events not mentioned by our participants; and 40 events specifically yielded by our analysis. Results show that first-time events play a special role on life scripts of Brazilians, as well as contents such as attending political events and post-graduate education. Methodological considerations on the qualitative analyses required to identify life events are discussed. Future studies may investigate prevalence, importance, valence, and gender and age differences with Brazilian participants.
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