Standpunten en kanttekeningen
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The development of identity as a construction of a life story. The fairy tale as a narrative approach in psychology - In this contribution our attention goes to the process of the development of the sense of self among adolescents. As a starting-point we are asking ourselves how we as outsiders can increase our understanding of the adolescent’s fenomenological view. How does one discern disturbances in the self-development of an individual ? Several theoreticians consider the development of an identity as a construction of a life story. When the adolescent’s life story is blocked, vague or unstable, he can be helped by giving him the necessary concepts that will support him during the reconstruction of his story. Then what does more closely link up with a life story than a story itself ? In several branches of psychology a greater use is being made of the narrative approach to gain a better understanding of human behaviour. The dialectic structure of the fairy tale, with its notions of good and bad, nice and ugly, present and future, appears to be enlightening as a storytelling technique. In the self-actualization process of the individual the same structure can be found. In the case of the fairy tale as well as of the adolescent’s life story it is an investigation into the ’self, into an identity of a personal creation. This quest for an identity is an inherent motive which is present in each of us, and further develops right through our whole course of life. Through its imagery the fairy tale offers to the individual also the possibility to find an answer to existential questioning.
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How to Cite: De Bisschop, K. (1997) “Identiteitsontwikkeling als constructie van een levensverhaal: het sprookje als verhaaltechniek in de psychologie”, Tijdschrift voor Sociale Wetenschappen. 42(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/tvsw.95261