Abstract
This article explores how unexpected life course events can potentially be experienced as problematic by challenging anticipated future trajectories. Using data from a qualitative longitudinal study of men interviewed about fatherhood, we consider four unanticipated events in the context of family formation which are variously experienced as propelling men forwards, imposing a pause, or regressing to a previous life course phase. In these situations time represents a threat to personal identity, challenging imagined futures and leading to altered behaviour in the present. These unexpected events appear to have a long-term impact on temporal awareness. By highlighting understandings of the future as a fundamental aspect of experience, we illustrate the importance of making time explicit as a tool for elucidating life course transitions.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
