Autobiographical writing and life-stages

Exploring our inner realms; digging deep; evoking emotions; bringing out the most important experiences and feelings. 'Self-stories' is a spiritual endeavour of soul-making. It involves reflecting, putting in order, giving voice and uncovering what is at our core. The writing results in becoming more of who we really are and result in a clearer understanding, it enriches.

Self-stories emerge, they evolve and change as people grow, develop and advance in life. Atkinson (1995) advocates that as people reach the time of taking conscious control of their life, they are capable to bring-out their own story to share it with other. Atkinson illustrates the broad stages of life from dependence at birth, through gradually taking control and starting an 'autobiographical memory', which reminded me of Erik Erikson's "eight stages through which a healthily developing human should pass from infancy to late adulthood". The table below summarises Erikson's psychosocial stages to which Atkinson's views are related.

Errikson's Stages	Basic Conflict	Important Events	Outcome	Atkinson (1995)
Infancy (birth to 18 months)	Trust vs. Mistrust	Feeding	Children develop a sense of trust when caregivers provide reliabilty, care, and affection. A lack of this will lead to mistrust.	Dependent upon circumstances and what happens impacts self-stories.
Early Childhood (2 to 3 years)	Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt	Toilet Training	Children need to develop a sense of personal control over physical skills and a sense of independence. Success leads to feelings of autonomy, failure results in feelings of shame and doubt.	Gradually acquire an 'autobiographical memory' enabling individuals to relate own experiences to others and store memories.
Preschool (3 to 5 years)	Initiative vs. Guilt	Exploration	Children need to begin asserting control and power over the environment. Success in this stage leads to a sense of purpose. Children who try to exert too much power experience disapproval, resulting in a sense of guilt.
School Age (6 to 11 years)	Industry vs. Inferiority	School	Children need to cope with new social and academic demands. Success leads to a sense of competence, while failure results in feelings of inferiority.	Limited authorship and control.
Adolescence (12 to 18 years)	Identity vs. Role Confusion	Social Relationships	Teens needs to develop a sense of self and personal identity. Success leads to an ability to stay true to yourself, while failure leads to role confusion and a weak sense of self.	Figuring out own preferred identity, who we are and want to be and what want to do in life. Become an active author, able to look back and ahead.
Yound Adulthood (19 to 40 years)	Intimacy vs. Isolation	Relationships	Young adults need to form intimate, loving relationships with other people. Success leads to strong relationships, while failure results in loneliness and isolation.	Becoming familiar with changes & transition and realise what is within our control. Fit the parts together.
Middle Adulthood (40 to 65 years)	Generativity vs. Stagnation	Work and Parenthood	Adults need to create or nurture things that will outlast them, often by having children or creating a positive change that benefits other people. Success leads to feelings of usefulness and accomplishment, while failure results in shallow involvement in the world.	Half of life is behind, enabling reflection on what not yet accomplished: might be sense of accomplishment, or might be an urge to salvage or turn for the better.
Maturity(65 to death)	Ego Integrity vs. Despair	Reflection on Life	Older adults need to look back on life and feel a sense of fulfillment. Success at this stage leads to feelings of wisdom, while failure results in regret, bitterness, and despair.	Fewer years ahead than behind. It is time to accept our life-story and perhaps add some finishing touches.

There are many ways of telling our own story, Atkinson (1995) asserts—it is important to find the style and way of expression we are comfortable with. He advocates a blurring of boundaries between autobiography, memoirs, journals and other forms.

Atkinson R. 1995. The gift of stories — practical and spiritual applications of autobiography, life stories and personal myth making. Westport, Conn.: Bergin & Garvey.