Autobiography gives the client the opportunity to have an insight (possibility to interpret
his/her own story); the client can discover new directions in hi/hers personality, re-
configure attitudes towards oneself and towards significant people. The personal history
narration experience, especially for adults, could be one of enriching the self-knowledge
base, provoking self-reflection, stimulating action (Gibson and Mitchell, 1981), or relieve
existential tension.
Disadvantages of Autobiography:
The autobiographical narration depends first of all on the client’s self-expressing capacity
and sincerity; it depends also on the possibilities of retrospective self-analysis and the
availability to recognize and bring out in the present past experiences; moreover, it
depends on one’s capacity of giving realistic interpretations to all these experiences along
the personality development process.
Conditions
Autobiography becomes valuable when the person has the availability for introspection
and self-analysis, tracking the significant life events, and presenting openly his/her life. A
trustful, unconditioned accepting relationship is necessary between the two parties.
The value of autobiography in the psychological investigation is conditioned by the
context where the client carries on with the narration, general state of mind, mood and
general health of that moment. At the same time, the quality of the autobiographical
writing depends on the client’s values that influence the present representations of the
past experiences.
Advantages of Self-characterization:
Self-characterization creates the framework that allows the client to gain answers to
questions about his/her own concept of life, self, worthiness.
The method makes available information about the person’s psychological picture, self-
image inaccessible otherwise to other investigation tools. Being used in different
moments, this method could offer an image about the individual evolution, and therefore
a more adequate counselling. By involving self-reflection, self-characterization is a
personal development tool, providing the discovery and the awareness of personal
resources, the clarification of difficult situation experienced.
Through self-characterization, the individual could develop his/her identity and sense of
coherence that will allow sharing experience with others.