Chickering Vectors of Identity Development

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ChickeringVectors of Identity Development

• Josselson
• Identity Development in Women

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Autonomy and Interdependence

• Individuation is becoming ones own person and
  taking increasing responsibility for self-support
• One can become financially and physically
  independent while remaining emotionally dependent
• Autonomy does not only mean becoming a separate,
  unique individual but also maintaining
  connections with others while being separate and
  unique

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Autonomy and Interdependence

• Emotional Independence
• Prior to young adulthood, most individuals are
  dependent on their parents
• Upon entering young adulthood, individuals do not
  typically become emotionally independent, but
  switch their locus of dependency (e.g. parents to
  peers parents to professor or hall
  director/career counselor)
• Eventually individual begins to depend on oneself
  for self-satisfaction

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Autonomy and Interdependence

• Instrumental Independence
• Ability to carry out activities on ones own and
  be self sufficient
• Ability to leave on place and function well in
  another

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Autonomy and Interdependence

• Interdependence
• Once individuals achieve autonomy they recognize
  that their interests can oppose the interests of
  other autonomous individuals
• Recognition of ones impact on others lives
• Interdependent individuals recognize need to use
  judicially reciprocity, compromise, sacrifice,
  and consensus building

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Kegan (1982)The Evolving Self

• Development occurs as a result of competing
  desire to be included within a group and to be
  independent and autonomous
• Individuals gravitate toward one of these desires
  until an imbalance occurs and the person begins
  to move toward the other direction

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Mature Interpersonal Relationships

• Interpersonal relationships exist between two
  autonomous individuals who find balance between
  dependency and dominance in a relationship
• Two Components
• Tolerance and Appreciation of Differences
• Capacity for Intimacy

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Mature Interpersonal Relationships

• Tolerance and Appreciation
• The willingness not to judge or condemn based on
  how others differ
• The suspension of judgment does not translate
  into the development of mature interpersonal
  relationships rather the development of empathy
  is required

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Bennett (1986) Ethnocentric to Ethnorelative
States

• Denial of Differences
• Defense Against Differences
• Minimization of Differences
• Acceptance of Differences
• Adaptation of Differences
• Integration of Differences

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Mature Interpersonal Relationships

• Capacity for Intimacy
• Willingness and ability to commit oneself to
  close affective relationships for their own sake
  (Douvan, 1981)
• Rather than relying of relationships for
  identification, individuals derive and contribute
  benefits from the relationship
• Individuals seek to continue mutually beneficial
  relationship despite internal (e.g. perceiving
  faults of the other) and external (e.g. peer
  disapproval of relationship) presses

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Establishing Identity

• Comfort with Body an Appearance
• Expression through selection of style/fashion
• Eating Disorders
• Comfort with Gender and Sexual Orientation
• What does it mean to be a man or woman?
• Exploration of what it means to be attracted to
  different sex, same sex, particular aspects

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Establishing Identity

• Sense of Self in a Social, Historical, and
  Cultural Context
• Identify with sub-population groups in which one
  received from their parents (e.g. How do I make
  sense of being a rural, Midwestern, White,
  green-collar, heterosexual, German-American,
  Catholic, adoptee)
• Identity with sub-population groups in which one
  self-selects to exist (e.g. How do I make sense
  of being a suburban, Midwestern, White,
  white-collar, heterosexual, American, Messianic
  Jewish, adoptee)

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Establishing Identity

• Clarification of Self-Concept through Roles and
  Life-Style
• Sense of Self in Response to Feedback from Valued
  Others
• Self-Acceptance and Self-Esteem
• Personal value/merit

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Developing Purpose

• Who Am I?
• What Am I Able to Do?
• With Whom Do I Want to Share My Life?
• Developing purpose is the ability to be
  intentional in ones choices and pursuits, assess
  options, clarify goals, and persist despite
  obstacles

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Developing Purpose

• Vocational Plans and Aspirations
• Not just securing a job or deciding upon a career
• Vocatio Calling
• Although career choices may change or remain
  static, there is an increasing level of clarity
  about what one want to do and what is the next
  step in achieving that goal

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Developing Purpose

• Personal Interests
• Individuals can derive less, equal, or more
  personal satisfaction and a sense of identity
  from their avocational interests than their
  vocation
• Interpersonal and Family Commitments

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Developing Integrity

• Humanizing Values
• Balancing self-interest with the interests of
  others
• Personalizing Values
• Consciously affirming core values and beliefs
  wile respecting others views
• Developing Congruence
• Matching personal values with socially
  responsible behavior

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Marcia (1966)Identity Resolution

• Expanded upon Eriksons stage of Identity versus
  Role Confusion stage of late adolescence in the
  college environment
• Marcia studied 86 male college students
• Identity Resolution Based on Two Factors
• Has the individual experienced a crisis period
  related to vocational choice, religion, or
  political ideology
• Extent of his personal commitment to particular
  choices

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Marcia (1966)Identity Resolution

• Has Made Has Experienced Crisis
• Commitment No Yes
• No
• Yes

Identity Diffusion
Moratorium
Identity Achievement
Foreclosure
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Josseslons Later Research

• Josselson, R. (1987). Finding herself Pathways
  to identity development in women.
• Examined 34 of original 60 women 12 years after
  they left college
• The women in the four groups were still very
  distinguishable
• Josselson, R. (1998). Revising herself The story
  of womens identify from college to midlife.
• Examined 30 of the original 60 women 22 years
  after they left college.
• Found most of the women, regardless of their
  stage at the end of college had come to the same
  place

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Identity DevelopmentWomen and Men

• Women find their identity by relating to others
  and have the capacity to experience higher levels
  of intimacy
• Men find their identity by choosing a career and
  the development of an ideology
• On Marcias three criteria, men are more likely
  to reach identity achievement in occupation and
  ideology men and women are equal on religion.