Life Story Project
By: Danielle Wilmot
Miami University
December 5, 2008
Abstract
This paper shows how life experiences work to develop an overall personality. It starts off by introducing my interviewee and then shows how she developed in each theme over the course of her life. The purpose of this is to show how development and life experience combine.
Introduction
In this paper I will be discussing my interview with my Grandmother. She is 70 years old and has lived a very experience filled life. Her name is Carol Mays and she is my maternal grandmother. She has lived in the southwest area of Ohio all of her life. I found her most interesting to interview because she claims her life happens in stages ending with major events in her life. Knowing what I know about psychology, I wanted to see how the stages that she believes occur, coincides with notable stages studied in others. I am also interested in seeing how each stage and domain come together and set her up for the next stage and domain in her life.
Relationships
Over the course of my grandmother’s life, she has had many relationships. Beginning with her family. Her mother and her had what she considered to be “normal” relationship for the time period. Her mother took care of the family while her father worked two jobs in order to provide for the family. Her mother acted as the caregiver. She gave out the responsibilities and expected them done. Her relationship with her father was complicated. She feared him growing up. She remembers him being drunk, but most importantly she remembers him teaching good values such as education and bringing her home presents every once in a while. He was in the Navy but he also worked two jobs and she admired him but she also expected it. At the time it was normal for the mother to stay home and take care of all the children and the father to work. So the relationship and idea of family was more history graded, (Berk 2007, pg 11). The older she...