DEVELOPMENTAL CRISIS IN EARLY ADULTHOOD: A ...

This form of clustering was felt to be too difficult to establish upon early
analysis, and it was complicated by the fact that a number of individuals showed a
combination of these effects.
A more simple clustering approach was then considered based on the life areas
in which the crisis initiated and were correspondingly most disrupted by it. This was
relatively easy to establish and led initially to three clusters:
1. Work and finance problems
2. Relationship and home life problems
3. Both work and home problems
It was then decided to apply this three way typology to each gender separately.
The outcome of this was the women being divided into two clusters: “Domestic
Crisis”, which subsumed those crises originating in domestic lives, and “Career-
Woman Crisis”, which included the crises originating in stressful career lives.
Analysis of the male cases led to three clusters being created: “All Consuming Crisis”,
“Marriage Crisis”, and “Career Crisis”. The members of these clusters are shown in
Figures 7 and 8.
Figure 7. Female Clusters
Angela
Lynne
Gemma
Violet
Mary
Camilla
Rachel
Frances
Career-Woman Crisis
Domestic Crisis
Figure 8. Male Clusters
Guy Neil
George Ben
All Consuming Crisis
Vern
Leon
Marriage Crisis
Dan
Jack
Career Crisis
Cluster-based analysis involved the systematic comparison of cases within a
specific cluster to search for common themes. Each cluster was analysed in turn,
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