Spatial metaphors of psychological time: The study of imprisoned men

Psychological time is a complex concept. We examined how male inmates (N = 32) experience selected aspects of time. The study focused on the experience of the present and how it is related to the past and the future. To explore how time is experienced, we referred to spatial metaphors that conceptualize time in simpler categories based on spatial relations. Inmates tend to experience the present as brief moments, and when defining it – and other dimensions of time – they use a limited vocabulary. They tend to have an egocentric perception of time, in their estimations focusing more on the life time than the history time. Inmates seem to be primarily present-oriented, and they think about the present and the future frequently. At the same time, they do not perceive the interrelations between the three dimensions of time. It is discussed that the temporal dispositions of the inmates can be influenced by specific conditions of prison isolation, in which time serves as a method of discipline. •The study fills a research gap in the experience of psychological time among inmates.•The spatial temporal metaphors were used to study the time experience.•Inmates see relations between the time dimensions differently from the population.•The inmates' definitions of time are unvaried and rather emotionless.•The inmates are present-oriented.