Temporal orientation and future time perspective of adolescents in institutional care

Abstract

Based on the paradigm of Dan McAdams, according to which identity is constructed in narrative, an exploratory research of qualitative nature was conducted on the life stories and the projects for the future of adolescents placed in Childhood and Youth Homes, under the protection measure of extended placement in an institution. This study sought to answer, among others, the following research questions: Are the institutionalized adolescents more oriented towards the past than towards the future? What projects do the adolescents make for their future lives? Following the methodology of Grounded Analysis, 17 adolescents, between the ages of 15 and 18, with a minimum of 5 years of institutionalization, were interviewed. The results showed that: 1) there are no signifi cant statistical differences between the orientation towards the past, present and future of these institutionalized adolescents; 2) their future time perspective is sparse, poorly structured, more imagined than motivational, and is mainly composed of the objects which can ensure them the basic conditions for subsistence, such as having a job and a home. From the fi ndings obtained during this research some practical implications were taken, which concern some aspects of the care provided to the institutionalized children and adolescents.