The technique was developed by E. Yu. Korzhova
Purpose: in-depth psychodiagnostics of the subjective picture of the life path.
Instructions: List the most important events that have happened in your life, as well as those that you expect in the future. Every event, both happened and expected, was (will be) joyful or sad. Try to express your attitude towards the events you indicated, rating joyful ones from +1 to + 5, and sad ones from -1 to -5. Mark the approximate dates of the events next to them.
Data processing and interpretation: processing is carried out using special tables and includes several stages. The number of happy, sad, past, future events and events in general is determined. Next, the total “weight” of joyful, sad, past, future events and events in general is revealed. Then the average time of anticipation and retrospection of events is determined (calculated separately for joyful, sad and in general). Finally, a meaningful analysis is carried out taking into account the types (spheres) of events.
For each area, the total number of events is calculated, as well as the “weight” of joyful (desirable) and “weight” of sad (undesirable) events. In addition, the number of types of events was calculated, which made it possible to assess the thematic diversity of the subjective picture of an individual’s life path.
Types of events:
v Parental family
v Place of residence
v Health
v Society
v Interpersonal relationships
v Financial situation
v Study, advanced training
v Nature
v Leisure, entertainment
Methodology “Historical Memory”
Technique Tregubenko I. Purpose: psychodiagnostics of individual historical memories.
Instructions: Remember and describe some socio-political or cultural event in Russia or the world that you remember. It doesn’t matter how accurately you know it, the main thing is that for some reason you remember it. You could have participated in this event, seen it, or simply heard it from someone. This is not a knowledge test. Describe the event and your thoughts and feelings about it.
In addition, the instructions included two questions: Who were you named after? and Who do you associate your name with?
Processing and interpretation:
In the process of analyzing memories, it is determined event type(the area to which it relates). Events can be socio-political, that is, related to political, economic and social life; cultural events – related to cultural life, art, science, sports; and, finally, natural events, which include earthquakes, floods, and man-made disasters. Next, we indicate whether the event is domestic or foreign.
The next parameter is type of autobiographical memory: bright, important, turning point.
The next indicator of historical memory is a person’s psychological position regarding the event, namely Participant, Contemporary, Eyewitness and Heir of historical experience.
The next parameter for analyzing memories is "strength-weakness" situation.
The next memory parameter is object and subject position of the individual in memories.
P redicates in the text of memoirs, that is, words that denote actions (usually verbs). Predicates are of two types: external - describe actions that can be seen and/or heard; internal - known only to the one who experiences the situation (know, want, understand, and so on). Thus, it is possible to determine which type of predicates predominate in the respondents’ stories.
Another characteristic - inclusion of elements of one’s own biography in the description of a historical event.
A special type of historical memories is a “situational response.” The respondent talks about some current socio-political event, which is covered in the media and has a certain public resonance (for example, the renaming of the police to the police).
Memories can also be classified according to predominant emotions in the descriptions. Thus, they can be negative (emotionally negative), positive (emotionally positive), ambivalent (both positive and negative emotions are presented) and neutral (attitude not described).
Finally, memory has a certain actant structure, that is, it includes actors (according to the scheme proposed by Alfred Adler). First of all, the self of the rememberer may be present in the text. Options are possible here: a person refers to himself as an acting (thinking, feeling) person (“I-situations”). Another option is when the narrator unites with someone, forming the so-called “We-situations” (A. Adler’s term). In A. Adler’s concept, it is the “we” position in memories that indicates the development of social feeling, that is, when a person has a tendency to carry out certain activities in cooperation with other people, as well as to be useful to society.
In addition, memories may include:
The figures of the parents (both together and separately, father and mother) - their combination in the above story indicates the small age of the respondent at the time of the event;
Figures of relatives (a special case with grandparents, since they are often conduits of historical memory for the younger generation);
The figures are friends, although they are;
Finally, other people may be present, both known and unknown to the narrator.
§ 1. General characteristics of the methodology
“Psychological autobiography” belongs to the group of situational psychodiagnostic techniques. Situational psychodiagnostics, which relates to the psychodiagnostics of an individual’s adaptive capabilities, is aimed at identifying the characteristics of the situational component of the internal picture of the life path (see Chapter 4) - one of the indicators of the functioning of the adaptation process. We believe that the components of the internal picture of the life path can be included in the system of basic indicators underlying the data obtained in a psychodiagnostic study. A system of such indicators should be distinguished in accordance with the concept of measured individuality (L. F. Burlachuk, E. Yu. Korzhova), according to which a person in the process of psychodiagnostic research appears primarily as an individual. In this case, a special form of personality description arises - measured individuality. The theory of measured individuality refers to theories of “middle-range” (the term was introduced by P. Merton in 1947 during a controversy with T. Parsons) - bridges between empirical material and general theory.
Theoretical models represent indirect knowledge, while the theory of measured individuality “grows” from the directly observed results of psychodiagnostic research.
“Psychological autobiography” was developed to assess the situational characteristics of an individual’s life path.
This is an expressive projective technique for studying experiences associated with the most significant areas of life. The technique allows us to identify the peculiarities of perception of significant life situations, namely the most important events in a person’s life. These are special situations that are closely related to the personality of the subject. Naming significant events in his life, a person refracts them through his “I”. Thus, the technique provides the opportunity to study the most significantly personality-related features of the psychological environment, according to R. Barker, or the characteristics of the perception of situations, according to D. Magnuason, or subjective situations, according to R. Stebbins ( R. Stebbine), in human life. The focus of the methodology on studying the life path, the methods of interpreting quantitative indicators make it possible to classify “Psychological Autobiography” as a method of the event-biographical approach (see Chapter 1, §3), while the ways of creating the methodology, as well as, accordingly, the quantitative parameters proposed for analysis (1 - 4A) are in many ways consonant with the traditional methods of conducting research on a widespread event trend abroad, focused on the analysis of events of the recent past (see Chapter 1, §4). Thus, “Psychological Autobiography” is based on two main approaches to the study of situations and can serve as a clear example of their interaction.
This is the collective name for a large group of methods for obtaining biographical information from the person being studied. These methods make it possible to obtain psychological history data, information about the most important events and stages of a person’s life path, about her attitude to what she has lived through, and about the characteristics of her anticipation.
General information (gender, age, education, marital status, professional information, health status, etc.) can be obtained through conversation, questionnaires, and biographical questionnaires. Specific information (assessment of past and possible future events, attitude towards oneself and others, subjective perception of one’s life path, etc.) is obtained in various ways.
Autobiography(an oral or written narration about one’s life with a simultaneous description of one’s mental state during the corresponding periods) is the most common and simple method of obtaining specific information. The narration can be facilitated with the help of a presentation scheme offered to the subject. The diagram contains separate reference points related to different age periods of a person’s life and to different areas of his activity.
A popular technique in such studies is self-portrait. The subject is asked to draw a straight horizontal line, the extreme points of which represent birth and death. On the segment, the subject selects a point corresponding to a given moment in his life. Thus, he correlates his past and future, evaluates his temporary capabilities. In these two areas, he marks the most important events: those that happened in the past and those expected in the future. It is advisable to accompany these milestones with an emotional assessment.
Another well-known trick is controlled fantasy. It can be carried out in different ways. For example, “getting used to” your imaginary image in old age and summing up your life. Or “accelerating time” by repeatedly imagining yourself older and older in succession.
One of the latest developments is the technique of E.Yu. Korzhova, proposed in 1994 to identify the self-perception of an individual’s life path. The biographer's answers and descriptions relate to his past, present and possible future. A procedure is provided for the formalization and unification of autobiographical material, which makes it possible to present it quantitatively. The methods of data interpretation provided by the methodology allow it to be classified as event-biographical methods. And since in the analysis of the material the personal meaning (that is, the meaning) of the answers comes to the fore, this technique (as well as the method of psychological autobiography in general) can be classified as a group of expressive projective methods. The author has developed criteria for data analysis. When interpreting, the following features of the individual’s perception of events are taken into account:
· Formal characteristics – productivity of reproducing images of the past and future; the significance of this event for oneself in comparison with others; desirability of events; the degree of influence of events on the subsequent course of the subject’s life; the time of their anticipation (anticipation) and retrospection.
The subjective picture of the life path is considered as a holistic image of human existence: sensations, perceptions, emotional and intellectual experiences and assessments of one’s own life and, ultimately, attitude towards it. A number of components of this internal picture of one’s life are subject to analysis:
Somatic (bodily) component – attitude towards one’s health, age, changes in both, etc.;
Personal (individual psychological) component – attitude towards oneself as an individual;
The situational (socio-psychological) component is the attitude towards life situations in which a given person was involved.
The results for a specific subject are compared with normative data obtained for groups of somatically healthy and sick people. Healthy people are differentiated into two professional groups: teachers and engineering and technical workers (E&T). The technique allows for the diagnosis of mental conditions. It can be used for both individual and group research and examination (12).
N. Denzin proposed a general scheme for analyzing and describing life stories, which includes the following steps:
1. Select problems and hypotheses that can be investigated and tested using life history.
2. Select the subject or subjects and determine in what form the biographical information will be collected.
3. Describe objective events and experiences from the subject’s life that are relevant to the problem you are interested in. These events must be assessed from different sources and perspectives in such a way that contradictions, inconsistencies and irregularities become apparent.
4. Obtain from the subject his or her interpretations of these events, following a natural or chronological order.
5. Analyze all statements and messages in terms of their internal and external validity (check the reliability of sources).
6. Make a final decision about the reliability of the above-mentioned sources and establish priority sources for subsequent hypothesis testing.
7. Start testing pre-formulated hypotheses and searching for refuting examples. Continue to modify these hypotheses, come up with new ones, and test them.
8. Make a rough sketch of the entire life history and present it to the subjects to study their reactions.
9. Rework the research report, presenting events in their natural sequence and taking into account comments from the subjects being studied. Present in the report the hypotheses and assumptions that have been confirmed. In conclusion, highlight the theoretical significance of your findings and prospects for further research.
This diagram can serve as a guide in working with biographical data (7).
From the above it can be concluded that that the biographical method is used by many disciplines, namely: sociology, psychology, pedagogy, ethnology, ethnography, etc. The main areas of application of biographical methods in psychology are personality psychology, differential psychology, historical psychology. Some modifications of biographical methods are used to diagnose mental conditions.
The concept of “Biographical method” combines several different methods for collecting biographical information. Most often, these methods are differentiated by the type of information source. There are four such varieties: psychobiography, causometry, formalized biographical questionnaire, psychological autobiography.
Psychobiography is a method of psychological analysis of personality based on biographical information. The method was first used to describe the personality of US President William Wilson.
Causemetry is one of the biographical methods designed to study the subjective picture of a person’s life path and psychological time. Proposed in 1982 by E.I. Golovakha and A.A. Kronik. With its help, not only the past stages of a person’s life can be described, but also the expected future. Conducted in the form of an interview consisting of six main procedures: biographical warm-up; creating a list of significant events; their dating; causal analysis of the relationships between these events; target analysis; designation of spheres of event affiliation. Additionally, an assessment is made of the emotional attractiveness of events, their distance to the past and future, and their significance “for oneself” and for “others,” as well as the localization of the personal time center. The results of the interview are depicted in the form of a causogram - a graph of events and connections between them. This allows us to draw a conclusion about possible deformations in the picture of the life path, about the scale, meaningfulness and implementation of the interviewee’s plans. Based on these data, one can judge the characteristics of his lifestyle and satisfaction with his past, present, and future. Based on causometry, a computer program “Biograph” has been developed, which allows diagnosing the person being examined using a computer.
A formalized biographical questionnaire is a concretization of a large group of methods united under the name “Biographical Questionnaires.” These questionnaires usually determine objective indicators of a person’s life path (age, education, work experience, place of residence, etc.). Sometimes they also include questions of a subjective nature (interests, inclinations, etc.). For example, N.V. Loginova’s questionnaire, which reflects the following main groups of biographical data: life path data; stages of socialization (nursery, kindergarten, school, university, work collectives, etc.); development environment (place of residence, educational institutions, production organizations); interests and favorite activities at different periods of life; state of health (including previous diseases). Interpretation of the results involves an analysis of social situations of personality development, the emotional background and orientation of the personality at different stages of the life path, the main conflicts and the driving forces of personality development.
Psychological autobiography is the collective name for a large group of methods for obtaining biographical information from the person being studied. These methods make it possible to obtain psychological history data, information about the most important events and stages of a person’s life path, about her attitude to what she has lived through, and about the characteristics of her anticipation. Here we can highlight the main methods, such as: autobiography, self-portrait technique, and “guided fantasy” technique. One of the latest developments is the technique of E.Yu. Korzhova, proposed in 1994 to identify the self-perception of an individual’s life path. N. Denzin also proposed a general scheme for analyzing and describing life stories, which includes 9 successive steps. This diagram can serve as a guide in working with biographical data.
Applicants, participants in specialist competitions, student programs, etc. think about how to write an autobiography before going through an interview. The document contains information about the citizen’s life path, facts that make him a professional in a particular field, and personal qualities. The fact of employment or the decision of the competition jury depends on the literacy and completeness of the presentation.
According to the generally accepted definition, an autobiography for work is a biography of a person, which outlines the stages of professional and personal development. The chronology includes events from birth to the present.
A biography is required in the following cases:
- getting a job (usually such a document is required by government agencies and law enforcement agencies);
- participation in professional competitions;
- organization of student projects;
- adoption of a child;
- addition to the personal file of an already employed specialist.
The significance of a sample autobiography submitted by a citizen varies depending on the specifics of the case. A commercial structure that has requested it from a working employee “for show” may not have read the text, but a government agency, having received a biography from an applicant, will make a decision on an employment offer based on it.
A short autobiography performs a function that a profile or resume cannot do - through a description of the author’s life path, it introduces the reader to the inner world of a citizen and creates an idea of him as a specialist. In government agencies, the document is studied with the involvement of psychologists, graphologists and (or) security service specialists.
Rules for writing your own biography
How to write an autobiography correctly? There are no strict rules or restrictions. The filling out sample and form are not regulated by current regulations. The compiler is required to comply with the standards for official business correspondence.
Follow these rules:
- Keep it short. The maximum length of the document is 1-2 pages. An example of an autobiography compiled on five pages will create a negative impression of the applicant as a person who is unable to formulate thoughts succinctly.
- Write in a business style. Avoid overly emotional statements, insults, unnecessary metaphors and additions. Remember: the reader will be no longer interested in the content of the document, but in the form of presentation.
- Avoid mistakes: grammatical, stylistic, speech. They will create a negative opinion in the reader.
- Maintain chronological order. The example of writing an autobiography assumes that events are presented in the sequence that takes place in real life: birth. education, school, higher education, changing jobs.
- State only true facts. If the deception in the autobiography is revealed, the applicant will be denied the vacancy, and the contestant will not be given the victory. The author’s business reputation will remain “tarnished.”
To avoid mistakes when drafting a document, study the presented sample autobiography for civil service and be guided by its style and structure.
What to include in a biography?
- Full name of the compiler;
- date and place of birth;
- passport data of the author-compiler;
- information about parents (full name, occupation);
- information about the education received (school, college or university, postgraduate studies, advanced training courses, etc.);
- military service (for those liable for military service);
- information about professional activities (places of employment, main responsibilities);
- data on labor achievements (awards received, titles and degrees, successfully completed projects, etc.);
- personal qualities that are significant in the labor process;
- information about spouse, children;
- having a hobby;
- contacts for communication.
A sample autobiography for employment assumes that the biography ends with the date of preparation and the personal signature of the author-compiler.
To compile your own biography, you do not need any special form. A blank A4 sheet will do. You can type the text on a computer and then print it out, or write it by hand.
Features of writing an autobiography for employment
An autobiography when applying for a job is an addition to a resume and characteristics from past places of employment, by which a potential employer judges the professional suitability of a specialist. To make the best impression on your future manager, include the following information in the document:
- Career success
Describe in detail the points that may interest a potential employer: tasks performed at previous places of employment, professional achievements, career growth, your advantages as a specialist.
- Professional skills
An autobiography for civil service will be more valuable if you describe in it what additional knowledge you have gained within the framework of your chosen profession by attending courses, trainings, seminars, mastering new software products, etc.
- Business qualities
Write down what personal characteristics you possess that are necessary for successful work. This could be punctuality, attentiveness, perseverance, communication skills, etc. Separately, note that you are able to work in multitasking conditions; you are not afraid of large volumes and tight deadlines.
- Wishes for work
Refuse to be excessively demanding, but indicate your wishes for your future place of employment, for example, flexible hours, no business trips, etc.
A sample autobiography in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and government agencies requires the presence of a photograph. Choose a photo that shows you in business attire against a uniform background. If you have references from previous places of employment, copies of diplomas, certificates, attach them to your biography.
Understanding how to correctly write a high-quality autobiography will help you win a professional or student competition, get a desired job, and achieve other career goals. There are no special requirements for the document; when preparing it, you must comply with the principles of official business style, worldly wisdom and adequacy. To avoid mistakes, search the Internet in advance and carefully study a writing example that suits your situation.
