One of the important stylistic techniques in beginning an autobiography is to recall for the reader what the world looks like through the eyes of a child. As Piaget recognized, children have active imaginations they use to explain events, and they sometimes (though not always) display evidence of egocentric thinking. One narrative technique for creating this effect would be to portray a child imagining a connection between his or her own actions and a major historical event.
The intellectual life of school-age children (7-11) is characterized by the increased use of symbolic, logical, and abstract forms of thinking, which develops in concert with expanding peer networks and the deepening of social ties to the community. One way that writers can portray this is by emphasizing character traits such as curiosity, self-awareness, and extroverted or introverted behaviors. Relationships with parents, teachers, and religious leaders can also be included as part of the characterization of this developmental stage.
The phase that spans early adolescence to adulthood is marked by mastery of symbolic language, the manipulation of multiple variable systems, and the use of hypothetical reasoning. This is seen in adolescence as an expanded view of the world (including social, political, and economic systems), a sense of the future, and increased personal independence. Writers attempting to describe this through narrative can portray their characters grappling with life choices, forming habits and beliefs, and developing key relationships outside of the family.