Please write an Autobiography of Emotions. Your autobiography should be a minimum of three pages, maximum of four. Explore the questions listed below with sufficient depth. In other words, avoid short answers and incomplete sentences. This is your autobiography, a chance to reflect on how you became the emotional person you are today and the impact social forces played in your development. Respond to the question and include any relevant information you see fit. I encourage you to apply your newly developed sociological imagination by utilizing some of the theoretical frameworks we have discussed this term (attachment theory, family ecology, among others) and any relevant sociological terminology when applicable.

Remember, own your journey and own your story. Disclose only what you feel comfortable with. I encourage you to address all the question in a version of this assignment strictly for yourself and then, edit a copy you will submit to me that includes only the information you see fit.

For your courage and vulnerability, I thank you in advance.

• Describe the emotional climate in your family while you were growing up. What feelings where allowed expression and which were not? Who was allowed to express desire, anger, fear, pain love, trust and/or pleasure among other emotions? Who was not allowed to express emotions? What was your response to this climate?

• What is your emotional relationship with your parents, siblings, peers, and mates today? Who are you closest to? Who are you most distant from? How have these emotional relationships changed over time?

• How do you feel about yourself? About your body? Do your feelings differ from when you were younger?

• What do you consider your major “hang-up” today (your “craziness”)?

• What growth have you experienced over the past five years?

• To what extend do you feel fulfilled intellectually, socially, physically and spiritually?

• Reflect on the emotions you have experienced completing this assignment with rigorous honesty, openness and introspection.

Useful subjects to analyze for this assignment are: Exploring Relationships and Families (Ch-2), Our Gendered Identities (Ch-3), Our Sexual Selves (Ch-4), Communications and Relationships, Marriages, and Families (Ch-11), and Power and Violence in Families (Ch-12). I strongly encourage you to refer to these reading assignment for the completion of your Autobiography of Emotions.