DEVELOPMENTAL CRISIS IN EARLY ADULTHOOD: A ...

o Did it worry you at all?
• What was your first reaction?
• How did the new masculinity / femininity express itself?
o Did it make you act / think differently?
o Friends / activities?
• Did you become more aware of your own emotions and feelings?
o Was this linked to the change in sense of your femininity?
Transformation
On the last page of the transcript, you say, “I have been rebirthed as the new me”.
• How would you describe the old Rob?
• What attributes and goals did he have?
• How would you describe the new Rob?
• What attributes and goals do you have now, which you did not then?
• What role did the crisis of losing job and wife play in the process of uncovering the new Rob?
• What do you identify with now?
A dramatic impact on my life – why do you think it took a crisis to bring about the transformation?
Do you think that the ideal life is a life without crisis?
Second interviews were of variable length, lasting between 40 minutes and an hour
depending on how forthcoming the participant was. All second interview schedules
are shown in Appendix A.
Analysis
Analysis of the interviews in this study was conducted using the processes of
the composite model described in Chapter 4, but was more explicitly influenced by
existing theory and by analytical constructs from the two previous studies. Three key
section headings in the results section below are based on three ways in which the
persona can become dysfunctional. These are based on theory-influenced superordinate
themes that emerged during the analysis. There are other sections in the
results that relate strongly to the intrinsic-extrinsic distinction in motivation and
personality. These also relate to existing theory, but are believed to clearly and
parsimoniously reflect patterns in the data. Although this study is still engaging in the
theory-development process, it is also testing and challenging the theoretical
postulates that have emerged so far, and this is why the analysis has a more clearly
theory-focused agenda.
8.3 The Six Individuals
The pseudonyms of the three men in the study are Frank, Rob and Mark. The
pseudonyms of the three women are Victoria, Lilly and Claire. All experienced crises
that disrupted both home and work life.
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