Susan R. Jones

Identity Development Theories in Student Affairs: Origins, Current Status, and New Approaches

Enhancing the development of students has long been a primary role of student affairs practitioners. Identity development theories help practitioners to understand how students go about discovering their “abilities, aptitude and objectives” while assisting them to achieve their “maximum effectiveness” (American Council on Education, 1937, p. 69). The tasks involved in discovering abilities, goals, and effectiveness are part of creating a sense of identity that allows the student to enter adult life. Identity is shaped by how one organizes experiences within the environment (context) that revolves around oneself (Erikson, 1959/1994). Across academic disciplines, the view of how individuals organize experiences takes on varying definitions. Within the student affairs literature, identity is commonly understood as one’s personally held beliefs about the self in relation to social groups (e.g., race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation) and the ways one expresses that relationship. Identity is also commonly understood to be socially constructed; that is, one’s sense of self and beliefs about one’s own social group as well others are constructed through interactions with the broader social context in which dominant values dictate norms and expectations (see Gergen, 1991; McEwen, 2003). Examples of these broader social contexts include both institutions such as education and work, as well as systems of power and inequality such as race, social class, and gender (Anderson & Collins, 2007). Social construction of identity occurs in different contexts on campus such as in how student organizations are created and which students are drawn to them, or in the social identities among those in leadership positions and those not, as well as in issues of institutional fit within access and retention. One of the components of identity development that arises quickly on most campuses is the process of students learning how to balance their needs with those of others (Kegan, 1982, 1994; Kroger, 2004). In working to create community and mutual respect on campus, student affairs professionals help students to understand this balance between self and others as well as expose students to the varied nature of what is encompassed in the “other.” A common program used to illustrate this process revolves around diversity issues. These programs often focus on exposure to other social groups and an understanding of how history supports society’s view of these groups. This influence of the other contributes to the social construction of identity; in other words, the context and interactions with others—including other people, societal norms, and/or expectations that evolve from culture—influence how one constructs one’s identity (Jones, 1997; McEwen, 2003; Torres, 2003; Weber, 1998). In addition, several researchers embrace a developmental approach to describe the shift that occurs when students

Enduring Influences of Service-Learning on College Students' Identity Development

This constructivist study explored service-learning as a contextual influence on identity development and self-authorship. Analysis of data from interviews with 8 participants, each of whom completed an undergraduate service-learning course 2 to 4 years prior to the study, suggested that an enduring influence of service-learning was construction of a more integrated identity evidenced by complexity in thinking about self and relationships with others, an openness to new ideas and experiences, and shifts in future commitments.

Meaning-Making Capacity and the Dynamics of Lesbian College Students' Multiple Dimensions of Identity

Narrative inquiry methodology was used to investigate self-perceived identities among 10 lesbian college students. Analysis of data from in-depth, open-ended interviews revealed the role of meaning-making capacity in determining the extent to which contextual influences shaped self-perceptions of sexual orientation identity and its relationship with other identity dimensions. Strategies for increasing meaning-making capacity in the context of sexual orientation identity are discussed.

Service-Learning: Applications from the Research

Contents: J.C. Kielsmeier, Foreword. Preface. A.S. Waterman, An Overview of Service-Learning and the Role of Research and Evaluation in Service-Learning Programs. Part I:Methodologies for the Study of Service-Learning. R.C. Serow, Research and Evaluation on Service-Learning: The Case for Holistic Assessment. R.D. Shumer, Learning From Qualitative Research. D.A. Blyth, R. Saito, T. Berkas, A Quantitative Study of the Impact of Service-Learning Programs. Part II:Research on the Elements of Effective Service-Learning. J. Eyler, D. Giles, Jr., The Importance of Program Quality in Service-Learning. R.C. Wade, Teachers of Service-Learning. A.S. Waterman, The Role of Student Characteristics in Service-Learning. Part III:Research on the Contexts for Service-Learning. B.A. Miller, Service-Learning in Support of Rural Community Development. N.Z. Keith, Doing Service Projects in Urban Settings. Conclusions: L.R. Bradley, Evaluating Service-Learning: Toward a New Paradigm.

Putting My Man Face On: A Grounded Theory of College Men's Gender Identity Development

The theory that emerged from this constructivist grounded theory study of 10 college men’s experiences depicts their gender identity as developed through constant interaction with society’s expectations of them as men. In order to try to meet these perceived expectations, participants described putting on a performance that was like wearing a mask or “putting my man face on.” They described a process of learning societal expectations, putting on a mask to conform to these expectations, wearing the mask, and struggling to begin taking off the mask.

Understanding Patterns of Commitment: Student Motivation for Community Service Involvement.

This constructivist study investigated college student perceptions of their motivations to participate in community service in high school and college. Data from interviews with twenty-four college students, half of whom continued their high-school involvement in community service and half of whom did not, was analyzed using a grounded theory approach and revealed that patterns of commitment are mediated by early socialization experiences, the influence of peers, and by how closely service is connected to an emerging sense of self.

Community Service in the Transition: Shifts and Continuities in Participation from High School to College

This study investigates shifts in community service participation from high school to college in a sample of 6,491 members of the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) cohort who were surveyed two years out of high school. Two theories informed the inquiry: social participation theory distinguishes between core and segmental volunteers, while transition theory emphasizes the importance of personal, social, and contextual resources in managing change.

Constructing Identities at the Intersections: An Autoethnographic Exploration of Multiple Dimensions of Identity

The purpose of this article is to present the results of an autoethnographic study designed to investigate the complexities of identity development among a diverse group of eight participants and to use results to explore potential relationships between self-authorship and intersecting identities. Data was collected via personal autoethnographic narratives and focus groups. Results highlighted that an intersectional analysis of identity and the self-authoring process exposed complexities not typically accounted for, such as navigating the tensions between privileged and oppressed identities, the prevalence of social class as both an identity dimension and contextual influence, and distinguishing between identity negotiation and perception management.

The Meaning Students Make as Participants in Short-Term Immersion Programs

The purpose of this article is to present the results of a multi-site case study designed to investigate students’ experiences as participants in four week-long immersion programs (New York City, Peru, the Czech Republic, Chicago). Results highlight the significance of the context of the trips and specific characteristics of the trip (e.g., getting out of the bubble, boundary crossing, and personalizing), which served as the springboard for learning and meaning making. In particular, meaning making focused on developing new understandings of social issues, privilege, and stereotypes, reframing experiences upon participants’ return, and shifting sense of purpose and career planning.

Getting Inside the “Underside” of Service-Learning: Student Resistance and Possibilities

Service-learning is often heralded as a pedagogical strategy with “transformative potential” (Jones 2002; Rosenberger 2000). However, as these illustrative quotations from undergraduate students enrolled in our service-learning courses suggest, not all students are immediately, or gracefully, transformed by their experiences. Further, students’ abilities to engage with all aspects of their service-learning courses depend on the intersection of their own sociocultural backgrounds (which become very apparent in community service environments), developmental readiness for such learning to occur, and the privileging conditions that situate college students in community service organizations in the first place (Jones 2002).