呂格爾在撰寫《活的隱喻》、《時間與敘事》與《自我宛如他者》的同時，他的思維逐漸依照自己思構的三模仿概念（threefold mimesis）而成形，經過前塑形（prefiguration）、合塑形（configuration）與再塑形（refiguration）三個程序。換句話說，當他撰寫新作品的時候，因為同時也是自己之前作品的「讀者」，所以曾經思構成形的概念似乎如同所述，是以一個健康「盤旋」（spiral）的方式發展。若呂格爾的假設是正確的，我們可以透過思想路徑的重建、反思其中概念的轉變與創新。
從1975到1990年呂格爾的論述，如果以思考場域的預設為分析對象，環繞著隱喻、敘事、歷史、故事一直到自我與生活實踐，似乎有目的地將「文本－人自我－生活」結合成為一個具有動力的意義生產模式。如果以思考方法為分析對象，我們似乎可以回顧呂格爾以「想像力」為起點，逐漸展演成「三塑形」與「認同方式的區別」一系列相關的思考模式。
本論文試圖透過呂格爾思想概念的延續與轉變，重建呂格爾在這期間的思維關連性。

By the time Ricoeur wrote “la metaphore vive,” “Temps et récit,” and “Soi-mêmecomme un autre,” according to his own theory, his thoughts must have undergone the three processes of “prefiguration,” “configuration,” and “refiguration.” According to his own description, each time he composed a new work, the development of his thought would advance through a “healthy” and “spiral” movement. If his hypothesis is true, it is possible to reconstruct the itinerary of his thought by reflecting on the changes and creativity of his writing and the way it changed over time. From 1975 until 1990, Ricoeur’s thought was engaged in subjects like metaphor, narrative, history, fiction, and, at last, self and praxis of life. These themes appear to be a dynamic production of meanings that combine “text-self-life” into a systematic whole. It is possible to follow Ricoeur’s thought by setting “imagination” as the beginning, which slowly develops into his theory of “mimesis” and at last his different approaches toward identity. This paper reflects on the changing and permanent elements of Ricoeur's thought and reconstructs the inherent relationship between his ideas.