Opening the stacks
Opening the stacks
Defined as moments or processes where an individual perceives a significant change in life direction or perspective, often identified retrospectively.
2 chapters across 1 book
The chapter examines the methodological and conceptual complexities of collecting and interpreting life reviews and life stories, emphasizing their subjective and constructed nature within life course research. It discusses various interview techniques, including clinical and structured interviews, and tools like life charts to facilitate narrative elicitation, while highlighting the importance of understanding turning points, identity formation, and retrospective reinterpretation of life events. The chapter also addresses challenges in balancing respondent engagement with data richness, the integration of supplementary materials, and the potential for coding qualitative narratives to enable systematic analysis.
This chapter presents a methodological approach to integrating quantitative and qualitative data using the Unraveling Juvenile Delinquency (UJD) longitudinal study. It details the rigorous matched-sample design and archival data reconstruction, combining statistical modeling with qualitative life history analysis to understand criminal behavior trajectories and turning points such as employment, marriage, and military service. Emphasizing the importance of historical context and human agency, the authors argue that only through mixed-methods integration can researchers fully capture the complexity of continuity and change in life course development and criminal careers.