Heidi Sear

Each interview was structured using the Free Association Narrative Method with six participants, each providing an in-depth case-based analysis. This study draws on six participants, three of whom participated in one interview and the remaining three provided an additional follow-up interview, exploring some themes and topics further. The analysis of each interview draws on psychoanalytic theory to articulate and understand what is being said and what feelings might emerge consciously or unconsciously from an internal emotional landscape.

Preliminary findings so far have supported the need to draw on the transdisciplinary methods that a psychosocial approach can bring to understanding and exploring the many challenges adolescents face in this very important transitional phase of their lives. Each interview revealed how this intrinsic symbiosis between self and social context influenced adolescents' developing sense of themselves in relation to others. Social class and wealth appeared as prominent features that either intensified expectations of achievement or caused a sense of shame in having less material wealth than others.Other aspects held equal weight, such as the need to belong and the discord in how each attempted to achieve this. Social media greatly influenced some during lockdown, causing fear and worry about world issues.