DEVELOPMENTAL CRISIS IN EARLY ADULTHOOD: A ...

Victoria – Interview 2 guide
Pre-Crisis
• So, firstly a little bit more about life in an Italian village. One thing you said was that
“you are not free to do what you want to do, or to be what you want to be.” Could you
tell me a little bit about that.
• So in principle the pressure to conform is greater than it is here?
• How do you find most people react to that pressure to conform? How would most
people react to this pressure to conform?
• Why do you see them as trapped?
• And do you look back and consider that when you were there you didn’t grow
psychologically?
• Do you think that a situation where someone can’t grow psychologically, is that a
good or bad situation?
Persona and Control
• OK, I am going to jump back again. You mentioned “yes I did feel controlled, not only
by parents, but also by the society and the culture there”, so that’s quite clear. How
do you think culture exerts control over people like you?
• OK, back to Italy. You said at a certain point I realised “it wasn’t me”. It’s very
interesting, because it comes up a lot in interviews. What does it mean?
• So there are these two parts of you. How would you call these parts?
• Now at the time when you were leaving Italy, if I could transport myself back in time
and have a little chat with Vicky then, and I say to her can you describe yourself, how
do you think she would have described herself then?
• You said “it did feel like a façade…” when referring to life in Italy. I guess the
question is what were you hiding behind the façade?
• Why do you think you felt the need to hide it?
• So is the façade the conformist self?
• Certainly, in your story and many others, at the bottom of the story is the move from
living a false life behind and façade to a life where one is being true to oneself and
living according to one’s own wants and aspirations. That sort of development seems
to be in the direction of what’s called authenticity, or a sense of being real or true to
oneself. If the façade comes from society, where does the real self come from?
• When you were there and you said “poor me…victim…” Where do you think this
victim mentality came from?
• When do you recall the first time that you started to take charge of your life? Do you
recall any particular moment that you decided to become more assertive?
• Do you think your level of assertiveness as opposed to victim mentality, do you think
it grew over the crisis?
• Did you manage to break free of your victim mentality as soon as you arrived?
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