Autobiographical Crisis Outline and Paper

Example of Autobiographical Personal/Family Crisis Outline

I. Stressor event (A Factor): Father’s job loss

II. Resources (B Factor)*:

A. Money in savings

B. Father’s college degree

C. Mother is employed full time

D. Teenage daughter has a part-time job for spending money

III. Perception of stressor event (C Factor):

A. Shock (Father/Mother)

B. Anger (Father)

C. Frustration (Father/Mother)

D. Anxiety (Father/Mother/Children)

E. Optimism (Father/Mother/Children)

IX. Crisis (X Factor): Loss of home to foreclosure/inability to afford mortgage

X. Pile-up (AA Factor):

A. Past due bills

B. Children’s expenses (child care; extra-curricular sport expenses,

braces)

C. Mother’s anxiety worsening and causing distractions at work

D. Continued struggle to find employment for the father

E. Packing/coordinating move

F. Children are upset to leave home and friends on the block

XI. New/existing resources (BB Factor)*:

A. Unemployment compensation

B. Financial loan from extended family

C. Fellow church member offers rental house at lowered rent for

several months

D. Effort is continued to keep family routines (dinner together, nightly

family “chats”) in-tact

XII. Perception of Crisis/Post-Crisis (CC Factor):

A. Discouragement

B. Loss

C. Sadness

D. Optimism (very, very gradually beginning to feel optimism)

E. Fear/uncertainty

XIII. Adaptation (XX Factor):

Bonadaptation as opposed to maladaptation; Although a crisis and multiple

stressors were present for the family, they continued to move forward steadily

(though, sometimes their optimism and faith were very shaky) as they downsized

to a rental home, lived for months on the Mother’s salary and the Father’s

unemployment, and relied on family/friends for some financial assistance. The

Father’s year of tireless search for employment ended with new-found employment

– the salary was less and the benefits were not as good but it was a step forward

with steady income. (In the paper, students will expand. For the outline, a brief

paragraph like this is acceptable if needed.)

*=For the B and BB Factors, students may also choose to discuss the resources that

the family lacked. Resources can be tangible (e.g., a paycheck, transportation) or

intangible (e.g., family resilience, open communication, trust).