Alejandro Iborra

Beyond Identity and Ideology: Processes of Transcendence Associated with the Experience of Conversion

Mark Tappan (2005) utilizes the autobiography of Malcolm X to exemplify how dialogical processes such as ‘ideological becoming’ act on the development of identity, considering at the same time the role of sociocultural dynamics of domination and subordination. Concentrating on this dialogical process, I seek to help its interpretation with a focus that emphasizes the necessity of studying the processes tied to the transitions of development and turning points, situating the ‘ideological becoming’ process within a larger model which, in my opinion differentiates more clearly the different experiential aspects that can be implicated in the development of a new identity. At the same time I use elements of the autobiography of Malcolm X to illustrate these processes.

Understanding and promoting self-direction in freshman and master’s students: A qualitative approach.

This study investigates how the transition toward self-direction is experienced and facilitated in 2 semester-long courses in teacher education degree programs and the differences in such a transition for freshman and master’s students. The thematic analysis of the written self-assessments of 8 illustrative examples enabled the detection of (a) students’ initial upset in the face of demands for internal authority; (b) the support of the teacher and peers in managing that upset; and (c) the students’ shift toward more complex conceptions of learning and teaching, including evidence of increasing self-direction. These findings shed light on the potential of intentionally designed learning contexts for promoting students’ epistemological development. The similarities found between freshman and master’s students’ experiences when managing the demands of internal authority emphasize the underutilization of the most extended teaching practices in higher education.

Cambios de Identidad asociados a la vivencia de una transición ritualizada: aprobar una oposición

Resumen Este artículo muestra las principales categorías obtenidas a partir de una metodología cualitativa de carácter inductivo realizado por medio de un análisis de contenido de 8 entrevistas usando el programa N*Vivo. La muestra consistía en 8 hombres (con edades comprendidas entre 26 y 45 años) que habían aprobado una oposición. Se discute si este suceso vital y la transición que lo rodea es un ejemplo actual de un rito de paso. Nos centramos en aquellos cambios experimentados por los sujetos una vez que concluyó la transición evolutiva de la oposición. Estos cambios, entre otros, se relacionan con la adquisición de una nueva identidad social. También se presentan y discuten los procesos psicológicos y socioestructurales más relevantes para obtener dichos cambios.

Experiencing Transformative Learning in a Counseling Masters’ Course: A Process-Oriented Case Study With a Focus on the Emotional Experience

This case study investigates the transformative learning process and outcomes of a female master’s student in a semester-long counseling skills training course based on experiential learning. The data included the student’s longitudinal accounts (11 questionnaires on the emotions experienced in every session and three blog posts) and retrospective accounts (a final reflective written activity and an interview) of her experience in the course. Through a thematic holistic analysis, we identified (1) five phases in the student’s learning process, which illustrated her evolving meaning-making of the challenging demands and related changes in her emotional experience and (2) two learning outcomes, including the student’s insights into the meaning of learning and her increasing self-awareness. The findings are discussed with an emphasis on the value of tracking learners’ emotional experience to understand their transformative changes, the contribution of experiential approaches to trigger such changes, and the potential of a process-oriented approach to investigate transformation.

Self and Identity Development during Adolescence across Cultures

The purpose is to show the dynamic of change and stability in the development of identity and self during adolescence. We present some basic differences between the development of self-perceptions and the development of identity according to Eriksons psychosocial formulation. The change and stability dynamics of identity development is subjected to critique from the perspective of the status paradigm as well as more recent theoretical models. The key role of the cultural contexts inevitable influence on the development of identity and self-perceptions through the production of relevant cultural variations is also analyzed.

Review Essay: Rethinking Bruner's Ideas from a Rational Point of View: Metaphors Creating Theoretical Labyrinths

This book, which deals with the work of Jerome Bruner and his sociocultural, constructivist, pragmatic and hermeneutical perspective, is an interesting and valuable contribution to the Spanish scientific literature about the social sciences. Spanish academia in the social sciences in general and psychology in particular is still quite dominated by a postpositivist paradigm which follows a quantitative approach. In that sense I think it is an interesting book to read because it will provide an alternative and fresh perspective for many readers. The core of the book presents a cognitive analysis of culture or a cultural analysis of the mind. This recursive relationship between culture and mind is one of Bruner’s ideas which is highlighted from the beginning: ‘The formation of the mind is above all a sociocultural construction. And vice versa, the formation of the cultures depends on the social transformation projects we can design and thanks to that its mental component is unavoidable’ (p. 40).