A minha experiência de confinamento: análise de narrativas biográficas de jovens em transição para a vida adulta e para o ensino superior

This paper draws on the confinement experiences of 43 young first-year undergraduate students of Economics and Management at Católica Porto Business School and examines the transition processes to adulthood and higher education during the pandemic and physical and social isolation. Biographical narratives written by the students revealed that the context of such transitions was profusely significant, mainly regarding rituals that mark entry into adulthood and higher education. Students found the lack of 18th birthday parties, prom and senior trips particularly distressing and saddening experiences. However, participants in the study are typically well-off young people leading comfortable material conditions and went through confinement without any material ordeal. That may explain why they identified the loss of leisure and recreational activities as the pandemic’s darkest side.