This article introduces the concept of the aura to account for a manner in which decision processes are mediated by personality. The concept, developed on the basis of a life-historical investigation of major life decisions, refers to characterologically determined thematic trends in both the images and narratives produced by a subject reflecting on possible personal futures. Depending on the extent to which auras are operative in major life decisions, rationalistic models of decision making proposed in "cognitive" approaches would seem to be of limited value.
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