Relative time and life course research

Abstract

<jats:p> Mainstream life course studies often draw on a conventional understanding of time as a unidirectional clock-based entity, which proceeds in a uniform and linear manner. This paper argues that, in order to understand the social, relational and psychological processes of change and continuity that characterise life course processes, we need to adopt a more comprehensive and explicit conceptualisation of time – a conceptualisation that goes beyond an absolute (linear, chronological, uniform) definition – to incorporate the notion of relative time. Drawing on insights from narrative and biographical research, discussions of the temporal embeddedness of human agency and multidisciplinary research on time perceptions and time perspectives, we propose a definition of relative time based on three main characteristics: its multidirectional, elastic and telescopic nature. The paper promotes the integration of absolute and relative time in the study of life course processes, and the important role of prospective qualitative research in this respect, and outlines future avenues for research in this direction.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;<jats:bold>Key messages</jats:bold>&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;The paper highlights the need for a comprehensive conceptualisation of time in life course research.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;It shows the value of incorporating notions of relative time in interaction with absolute time.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;Drawing on interdisciplinary insights, it proposes a tripartite definition of relative time as multidirectional, elastic and telescopic.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;It discusses the implications of this conceptualisation for the analysis of events and transitions.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt; </jats:p>

Families, Life Courses and the Intergenerational Transmission of Social Disadvantage in Australia

“…Time has been a central concept in life course approaches but is often understood as linear and unidirectional following a chronological clock and calendar at a uniform pace. In contrast, Sanchez-Mira and Bernardi (2021) argue for a concept of relative time that is multidirectional with the remembered past and anticipated future influencing agency and decision-making in various ways, telescopic with individuals acting on the basis of differing time horizons where they zoom in and out of past and future events in ways that shape their actions, and elastic where individuals do not experience time as continuous, uniform or linear, but rather at different tempos and paces and distorted in various ways through subjective perceptions. Time is thus relative to individuals rather than absolute and an integral part of understanding agency as opposed to an objective measure of cohort, period or ageing.…”

“…In more recent work Sanchez-Mira and Bernardi (2021) have further argued for a more developed theoretical conceptualisation of time in life course research that goes beyond notions of time as absolute (linear, chronological and uniform) and incorporates understanding of relative time. Time has been a central concept in life course approaches but is often understood as linear and unidirectional following a chronological clock and calendar at a uniform pace.…”

Qualitative Longitudinal Research: From Monochrome to Technicolour

“…The study of time and of change has implications for QLR research methods: as participants' lives evolve, research questions can emerge which can have implications for data collection methods (Vogl and Zartler, 2021). Within lifecourse research, time is conceptualised in both absolute and relative terms (Sánchez-Mira and Bernardi, 2021;Bernardi and Sánchez-Mira, 2021).…”

Time and causality in the social sciences

“…These factors may moreover vary over time. In addition, as pointed out by Sánchez-Mira and Bernardi (2021), in reaching their decisions individuals often refer to relative time, that is, they take account not only of the present circumstances but also of their past and their future expectations. According to these authors, at the individual level time would be experienced as multidirectional, elastic, and telescopic.…”