Conduct an interview with an older relative. See attached guideline and ask if you have questions.
This is preparation for your Week 4 assignment. You do not have to turn in the assignment.
Interview Assignment
Life Line
Your goal this week is to conduct an interview with a relative who is the same sex as you are (or close friend if you don’t have a relative you feel comfortable interviewing). The goal of the interview is to examine the formative developmental events in your relative or friend’s life, and to compare those events to your own projected life course. Based on the interview, you will construct a lifeline for your relative and yourself and write a brief paper summarizing the interview.
***It is important that the person you are interviewing is in a
different developmental life stage, such as a parent, aunt, or grandparent, and is older than you are***
A. Conducting the Lifeline
interviews:
To construct the lifelines, students need to conduct an interview with their same sex parent, grandparent, or other older relative. The interview can be in-person or over the telephone. (If you cannot interview your same sexed parent or grandparent for some reason, choose another same-sex relative or friend who was born at least 15 years before you were. If you are uncertain what to do, talk to Dr. Schmitt).
In the instructions below I use the word relative (but the same applies if it is a friend).
The interview should be conducted in the following way:
1.
Introduce the task: You can say something like: “I am doing an assignment for my class in Human Development and would like to ask you some questions about your life, the events that were important to you and any turning points.”
2.
Begin the questions: “Let’s begin with your
childhood, from your early years before high school. As you look back, what were some significant events.”
a.
For each event, be sure to find out how old your relative was at the time
.
b. “Pick out one event that was particularly important for you during this period of your life. What was it? How did it affect the direction of your life (what happened as a result, what was different)?
3.
Ask the same questions about each of later periods of life:
a. High school years
b. Young adulthood, 18-30
c. Early Middle adulthood, 30-45
d. Late middle adulthood, 45-65
e. Since turning 65.
4.
Structured questions about life events: Next, you want to cover a list of
3 common life events. Ask your relative about these events, if he or she has not already mentioned them. You can ask “Now let me ask you about some other specific events, and when they happened in your life. How old were you when you _________“
You can ask about the following events, if your relative does not mention them spontaneously (CHOOSE THREE):
1. Started school
2. Completed school and highest grade
3. Got your first job of any type
4. Got your first full-time job
5. Any significant job changes
6. Moved into own home or apartment (that is, no longer living with parents)
7. Went into the military
8. Got married
9. Had your first child
10. Had your other children
11. (If there were divorces and remarriages, ask about the dates)
12. Significant moves (from one part of the country to another)
13. When their parents died
14. Retired
5.
Historical events.
a.
If your relative has
not
already talked about any historical events, ask:
i. “What were some important historical events in your life?”
ii. For each event, find out how old your relative was at the time.
iii. “Which one had the most impact on you?”
iv. “How did it affect your life?”
b.
If your relative
has talked
about one or more historical events, ask:
i. Were there other important historical events in your life, besides the ones you mentioned already?
ii. For each new event, find out how old your relative was at the time.
iii. “Which one had the most impact on you?”
iv. “How did it affect your life?”
6. THANK YOUR RELATIVE FOR HELPING WITH THIS ASSIGNMENT.
B. Constructing the Life Lines:
· You can start working on constructing two life lines. The first one will be for your older relative and the second one for yourself. The life lines should be constructed on one piece of paper or on two pieces. Plot a line from birth to your relative’s current age, marking out 4 ages at 10 year intervals. Place along the line all the events your relative mentioned at the ages they took place.
This can be done on the computer or by hand (and then scanned into a JPEG).
· Construct your life line on the same paper as your relative’s. Your life line should end at the age you calculated in class for your life expectancy. Indicate your current age, and place events you consider important up to now. Then plot events that might take place in your future. You need to include normative life events, as well as a few non-normative events.
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