The article is an example of research done with the biographical method within the framework of educational biography. In the text I present the key elements and stages of the applied research procedure (biographical workshops for young adults) and an example of using it in practice (i.e., obtaining qualitative data from written self-narratives, supplementary techniques and the analysis and interpretation carried out by the narrator). The research conclusions highlight the significance of using tasks of this kind in work with young adults. They show the opportunities but also limitations of using the biographical method, which result from the subjects’ young age. They describe a number of functions (including auto-therapy) that help them formulate their own judgements, gain autonomy in making decisions, and the sense of control of their own lives.

One of the basic conditions of human life (and the ways of experiencing it) is that it is temporal and the our lifetime is limited. Today we observe fast technological changes, access to a lot of information and frequent necessity to execute tasks quickly, which is why many people experience limits of time necessary to perform their action. Conscious of their own mortality, people also experience the limits of their own lifetime. In this context, the question, what would it mean for a given individual “to make proper use of time” seems to be quite important. Research was conducted on a group of 127 students. The objective of the research was to obtain answers to exploratory questions: What are the individual concepts of that, what does “proper time use” mean for students (both in short-term perspective and lifetime perspective). In order to discover the individual concepts of “proper time use”, a questionnaire containing open questions was constructed. Th e questions were connected with three time use perspectives: a week of study, a week of holidays and the whole life. It corresponds with the division made by Popiołek (2010) into two perspectives, in which time is captured by the man: every day time and lifetime. Answers were categorized. The most frequent criteria of “proper time use” were: attaining objectives (74%), pleasure and seeking sensations (61%), relations with other people (49%), personal development (34%) and life satisfaction (30%). Definite majority of the answers were general and pointed to a lack of deeper reflection on their lives, on “how I would like to make use of my lifetime”. The results obtained may have application value – based on them, initial postulates were proposed for work on increasing self-consciousness of students in the respect of time management.

At the time of an economic crisis and its psychological consequences the attitudes and activity of young adults, who are just starting their vocational life, are of great significance. Graduates from colleges and universities are a very important group among them. Their abilities have an impact upon the intellectual potential of the country’s economy, and consequently upon its novelty. The presented research concentrated upon the knowledge of graduates about ongoing changes and tendencies in the labour market, and their ability to communicate their needs in this respect. The study comprised 602 students of the final years of B.A. and M.A. studies, since they are confronted with making a decision concerning their future jobs. Decisions made at that time have a long-lasting influence on the quality of their life. It is therefore worthwhile to acquire better knowledge on the inner motives of their choices.

The process of identity formation during the transition from adolescence into adulthood and its determinants are currently a central issue in the social sciences. On the one hand, the huge variety of possibilities presents the opportunity to expand the fields of exploration and to tailor commitments to individual aspirations and preferences. On the other hand, increasing instability and Bauman’s liquidity of the social environment of development may create threats that impede the making of decisions, engaging in their realization, and identifying with the choices made. James Marcia’s two-stage model of identity formation no longer adequately describes and accounts for paths of identity development. The dynamic dual-cycle model of identity formation developed by Koen Luyckx and collaborators is much more accurate. Although identity continues to develop throughout course of life, childhood, and adolescence in particular, seems to be pivotal from the point of view of which developmental trajectory the individual is on at the moment of his/her entry into adulthood. From this point of view, the factors which we regard as crucial for identity formation are shame proneness and shame regulation strategies on the one hand, and the system of personal beliefs about one’s life and related key social experiences which define the quality of social participation of adolescents on the other hand.

This article presents research into shyness from the perspective of gender and gender identity. The research comprised a group of 240 Polish women and men (120 women and 120 men) in the period of early adulthood (20–25 years of age). The Stanford Shyness Questionnaire (Zimbardo, 1994) and Bem Sex Role Inventory (Polish version, Kuczyńska, 1992) were used. Gender differences and differences between people of different gender identity in experiencing shyness were found, including: frequency, causes, consequences (physical, emotional, cognitive, behavioural) and strategies of coping with shyness.