"Jag hade ett fängelse i mitt hjärta" - analys av en livsberättelse av en före detta kriminell person.
(2013) SOAM21 20122School of Social Work
- Abstract
- “I had a prison in my heart” – an analysis of a life story of a former criminal.
The purpose of this study was to investigate stories featured in an autobiography written by a former criminal, based on theories of social psychology and interactionism. More specifically the aim was to study the reasoning and motives in the stories regarding the person’s relationships with significant others during childhood, to see if and how these relationships could have affected the person’s social self, choices and actions in various contexts throughout the psychosocial development. The biographical single-case study was based on an autobiography recently written by a Swedish male. He had been convicted of two heists of robbery. The content analysis... (More) - “I had a prison in my heart” – an analysis of a life story of a former criminal.
The purpose of this study was to investigate stories featured in an autobiography written by a former criminal, based on theories of social psychology and interactionism. More specifically the aim was to study the reasoning and motives in the stories regarding the person’s relationships with significant others during childhood, to see if and how these relationships could have affected the person’s social self, choices and actions in various contexts throughout the psychosocial development. The biographical single-case study was based on an autobiography recently written by a Swedish male. He had been convicted of two heists of robbery. The content analysis was based on what was told and the strategy was discursive psychology. As a conclusion the person seemed to have developed a poor self-image during childhood, as a result of unsecure social bonds with a majority of the significant others. In an effort to protect the self from perceptions of the significant others´ negative attitudes towards him (the generalized other), and the feeling of shame that was brought with it, the person went angry and hostile. A desire for revenge and freedom had been evoked, and a longing for a context in which he would be loved for whom he was. As a consequence, he joined other groups with the same rebellious views as him, connected to punk and anarchy. His social conscience was soon formed related to the groups of which he felt that he belonged and did the right thing, resulting in feelings of pride. The criminal behavior that eventually arose could thus be justified as an act that was right in relation to the unjust and oppressive society (anger against the generalized other). But he had in fact become dependent of external control to feel safe in life. And when he realized this, or rather, realized that being a rebel no longer filled its purpose (love through revenge), he started to desist from crime. But he was still longing for love and a sense of security in life. Eventually (in prison) he found a secure social bond with God, and after reconciliation with his parents he found a renewed and secure social bond with them as well. It generated a desire to act rightly according to them, and his internal control started building up. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/3437703
- author
- Andersson, Isa LU
- supervisor
-
- Anna Rypi LU
- organization
- course
- SOAM21 20122
- year
- 2013
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- content analysis, social psychology, former criminal, psychosocial development, self-images
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 3437703
- date added to LUP
- 2013-02-07 14:25:24
- date last changed
- 2013-02-07 14:25:24
@misc{3437703,
abstract = {{“I had a prison in my heart” – an analysis of a life story of a former criminal.
The purpose of this study was to investigate stories featured in an autobiography written by a former criminal, based on theories of social psychology and interactionism. More specifically the aim was to study the reasoning and motives in the stories regarding the person’s relationships with significant others during childhood, to see if and how these relationships could have affected the person’s social self, choices and actions in various contexts throughout the psychosocial development. The biographical single-case study was based on an autobiography recently written by a Swedish male. He had been convicted of two heists of robbery. The content analysis was based on what was told and the strategy was discursive psychology. As a conclusion the person seemed to have developed a poor self-image during childhood, as a result of unsecure social bonds with a majority of the significant others. In an effort to protect the self from perceptions of the significant others´ negative attitudes towards him (the generalized other), and the feeling of shame that was brought with it, the person went angry and hostile. A desire for revenge and freedom had been evoked, and a longing for a context in which he would be loved for whom he was. As a consequence, he joined other groups with the same rebellious views as him, connected to punk and anarchy. His social conscience was soon formed related to the groups of which he felt that he belonged and did the right thing, resulting in feelings of pride. The criminal behavior that eventually arose could thus be justified as an act that was right in relation to the unjust and oppressive society (anger against the generalized other). But he had in fact become dependent of external control to feel safe in life. And when he realized this, or rather, realized that being a rebel no longer filled its purpose (love through revenge), he started to desist from crime. But he was still longing for love and a sense of security in life. Eventually (in prison) he found a secure social bond with God, and after reconciliation with his parents he found a renewed and secure social bond with them as well. It generated a desire to act rightly according to them, and his internal control started building up.}},
author = {{Andersson, Isa}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{"Jag hade ett fängelse i mitt hjärta" - analys av en livsberättelse av en före detta kriminell person.}},
year = {{2013}},
}