Telling the Stories of Life Through Guided Autobiography Groups

James E. Birren, Kathryn N. Cochran

Taylor & Francis US, Jul 5, 2001 - Biography & Autobiography - 190 pages

Telling the Stories of Life through Guided Autobiography Groups, based on James Birren's 25 years of conducting autobiography groups, discusses all the topics an organizer faces while developing a program for adults who want to recall and write down their life histories. This book is ideal for adult education programs, church groups, social workers, psychologists, gerontologists, and others who work with adults who might be interested in exploring, recording, or sharing their personal histories. It helps professionals and trained workshop leaders at community centers, senior centers, schools and other settings guide group participants in exploring major themes of their lives so that they can organize and write their stories and share them in a group with others on the same journey. This exercise is rewarding for adults of any age in a period of transition or with interest in gaining insight from their own stories. Personal development and a feeling of connection to other participants and their stories is a natural outcome of this process. This book provides background material and detailed lesson plans for those who wish to develop and lead an autobiography group.

The authors explain the concept of guided autobiography, discuss the benefits to the group participants, and provide logistical information on how to plan, organize, and set up a group. An appendix provides exercises, handouts, and suggested adaptations for specific groups. The book also explains a systematic method of priming memories, including the history of family and of one's life work, the role of money, health and the body, and ideas about death.

At a time when rapid change has created a widespread yearning to write down and exchange personal accounts, sharing life stories can reveal a great deal about how we have come to be the persons we are. Telling the Stories of Life through Guided Autobiography Groups shows how to organize, record, and share life experiences through a proven and effective technique.

Contents

• The Power of Autobiography: 3
• Who Should Do Autobiography?: 10
• Qualifications of the Leader: 21
• Organizing a Guided Autobiography Group: 27
• SmallGroup Dynamics: 37
• The Major Branching Points in Your Life: 55
• Your Family: 70
• Your Major Life Work or Career: 86
• Your Health and Body: 93
• Your Experiences with and Ideas about Death: 107
• Your Spiritual Life and Values: 114
• Creating New Themes: 175
• Annotated Reading List: 183

About the author

James E. Birren is associate director of the Anna and Harry Borun Center for Gerontological Research at the Multicampus Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, University of California, Los Angeles He is the author of Telling the Stories of Life Through Guided Autobiography Groups.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Telling the Stories of Life Through Guided Autobiography Groups
• Authors: James E. Birren, Kathryn N. Cochran
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis US, 2001
• ISBN: 0801866340, 9780801866340
• Length: 190 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / General; Biography & Autobiography / Medical (incl. Patients); Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs; Education / Computers & Technology; Language Arts & Disciplines / Writing / General; Language Arts & Disciplines / Writing / Nonfiction (incl. Memoirs); Literary Criticism / General; Medical / Allied Health Services / Occupational Therapy; Medical / Geriatrics; Psychology / General; Self-Help / General; Social Science / Gerontology; Social Science / Social Work