CTF seminar with Alexandra Zimbatu

Welcome to the CTF Seminar!

Alexandra Zimbatu, PhD student, Maastricht University in the Netherlands, warmly welcomes you all to a CTF seminar! 

Title of the seminar: Looking forward to it: How temporal landmarks and anticipatory anchors establish agency in captive services

Date: 10 June 

Time: 1pm - 2pm

Room: 11A 316

Overview: 

Temporal Landmarks are events that stand out in an individual’s perception as being distinct from the mundanity and routine of life (Lee & Dai, 2017). The anticipation related to a temporal milestone is one way for individuals to intentionally manipulate their subjective experiences of time (Flaherty, 2003), both as a coping mechanism or as a savoring strategy (Bryant & Verhoff, 2007). In instances where individuals do not have any personally meaningful temporal landmarks, this can create a sense of ‘suspended time’ and temporal vertigo that ultimately impacts wellbeing (Chaumon et al., 2022). Consumers in extended service settings (i.e. services that span over multiple months and years) are particularly susceptible to negative temporal experiences. Without distinctive temporal landmarks, the days can blur together in a type of ‘Groundhog Day’, thus heightening perceptions of captivity within the service setting (Creely et al., 2022). 

This seminar provides an overview of how many of the long-term settings we interact within can support a constructive passage of time for consumers by creating temporal landmarks. Using aged care as an illustrative context, alongside field data from twelve countries during the pandemic, we show how organizations and individuals alike can support anticipation as a way to exercise control in contexts of constraint. We contribute to the literature on extended services (Zimbatu & Russell-Bennett, 2025; Anderson et al., 2025) and service captivity (Rayburn, 2015; Guillemot et al., 2022), responding to calls for more research on SDG3 Good health and well-being (Hammedi et al., 2024).

For more information please contact Charlotta Andersson charlotta.andersson@kau.se.