One of the ways sociologists get a sense of who people are (i. e. their identities) is by conducting life history interviews. In a life history, sociologists get access to otherwise inaccessible information such as a person's past, their interpretations of important historical events and situations, and changes in the way they think and feel about their identities over time. In a life history, sociologists can also get some idea of how a person's sense of self was shaped through socialization over the life course.