Time perspective and identity

Abstract

Time perspective is the subjective perception a person holds about his/her past, present and future. Past, present and future are regarded as the dimensions of time perspective. All experiences/events are sorted into the dimensions and are called "contentss" of time perspective. The events/experiences of the different dimensions of time perspective are connected to each other, which provides the person with a perception of continuity over the life span. A perception of continuity over the life span is crucial for identity formation. However, certain factors can prevent the connection between the dimensions of time perspective. A person then "freezes" within one dimension. It was anticipated that past, political circumstances and poverty might "freeze" many Namibians in one dimension of time perspective, which would affect the collective Namibian identity as well. Therefor, the objective of this study was to investigate the contents of time perspectives of Namibians and then draw conclusions about the relevance of time perspective for a collective Namibian identity. The research question was: what contents of time perspectives can be found in Namibia, how can that contents be characterized and does this contents indicate a subjective sense of life continuity? A qualitative study was conducted. Four middle-age interviewees from four different socio-economic classes were selected. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in English with these interviewees. The interviews were tape recorded and transcribed according to the transcription rules of Mayring (1997). The interviews were analyzed with the Summarizing Qualitative Contents

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Analysis of Mayring (1997). An investigation of the time perspectives of four Namibians from different socio-economic classes showed that all four interviewees experienced an interplay between their past, present and future dimensions. Therefor the interviewees experienced their own lives as a continuity. From these findings of the time perspectives of the four interviewees, hypotheses can be drawn as to the relevance of time perspective for a collective Namibian identity.