- How you handled life's developmental crises?
- Describe yourself from different perspectives: how do others see you (e.g. the
opposite sex? Teachers and bosses? Peers?) What do you think you're really
like? How would you like to be? - How you resemble and differ from your parents and other family members:
physical, personality, attitudinal, values, and behavioural comparisons. - Family relations: a parallel of what were the relations between parents,
siblings, you in the family of origin and what are your relationships today. - How do significant others see your future?
- Sexual history: early memories, how you learned about sex, attitudes toward
sex and toward sexes, temptations, good and bad experiences. - School and work history: parents', friends' and your attitudes towards school
and career. How much of your time goes into work and how much into fun? - Friendships, loves, social life: early friends, your "gang", first love, sports,
religious activities, co-workers, best friends, lovers, etc. What kinds of
communities you live in? - Crises, regrets, top experiences: what would you have liked to happen
differently in your life? What did you need that you didn't get? - Future changes in your life: major goals in 1-5-10-20 years. What self-
improvements are needed to achieve those goals? Which self-help project
should start first? - Reactions to writing the autobiography: before, during, and after the writing.
- Realistic expectations: what is likely, not what you hope will happen in your
life. - Life graph: draw your lifespan as you presented it; use symbols or key
words.”
Methods evaluation
Advantages of Autobiography:
Autobiography gives us the client’s image about his/her own life, helps us understand
his/her representations system, offers valuable information about the cultural, ethnic, and
social background.