Research on lived experiences of shared identity in families located at different stages of the family life cycle (Case Study: Karaj)

The concept of family life cycle focuses on the changes that families experience over time in their structure and relationships; Families go through various transitions and stages over time that lead to new relationships between members; In other words, as families move through the family life cycle, their internal relationships change. The purpose of this study is to investigate the shared identity experiences of families located at different stages of the family life cycle. This research has been done with qualitative methodology and grounded theory method. The participants were 80 people who were selected by purposive sampling method, 20 people were assigned to each period of the life cycle (except for the empty nest stage). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews to achieve theoretical saturation and analyzed using open, axial and selective coding steps. The results show that the family life cycle has different stages that despite the common features they have with each other; each stage has certain characteristics that can represent that stage. It was also found that in the study population, families at different stages of the life cycle had shared experiences of experiences that are affected by economic and social problems. These experiences included illness, family well-being, housing purchase, children's academic achievement, high cost of living, investing in future housing, self-health, children's future, and starting a business.Conflict of interest: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this manuscript.