Title: Bridges and Barriers in the Development of Faith, Identity, Vocation, and Life Purpose in College Students Katie Byron, Whitney Guthrie, Cindy Miller-Perrin, and Don Thompson Pepperdine University ACSD Annual Conference June 8, 2006
1Bridges and Barriers in the Development of Faith,
Identity, Vocation, and Life Purpose in College
Students Katie Byron, Whitney Guthrie, Cindy
Miller-Perrin, and Don ThompsonPepperdine
UniversityACSD Annual ConferenceJune 8, 2006
2The Pepperdine Research Team
- Katie Byron
- 2006 Psychology Graduate
- Whitney Guthrie
- 2006 Psychology Graduate
- Dr. Cindy Miller-Perrin
- Professor of Psychology
- Dr. Don Thompson
- Associate Vice President
3Presentation Overview
- Development of faith, identity, and vocation
across the undergraduate years - College seniors Bridges and barriers to life
purpose - Opportunities for influence and impact in the
college environment
4Lilly Endowment Sponsored Research at
Pepperdine2002-2006 Summary
- Student Development
- Faith, Vocation, Identity Surveys Interviews
- Autobiographical Writings
- Vocation Discussion Groups
- Faculty Development
- Vocation Survey
- Vocation Workshops
- Autobiographical Writings
- Vocation Discussion Groups
- Mission Fulfillment
- Life Purpose, Service, Leadership
5 Development of Faith, Identity, and Vocation
Across the Undergraduate Years
- College years are critical years in development
- College years marked by change in individual self
and religious self
6Vocational Development
- College students consider issues associated with
personal identity, faith beliefs, and career
options - Higher education should help students discover
and pursue their vocational callings - Little empirical work examines the nature and
development of vocational calling
7Research Hypotheses
- Vocation is the place where your deep gladness
and the worlds deep hunger meet - Vocational development is the intersection of
faith development and identity development - Faith, identity, and vocational development are
not uniform across the college years
8Method
- Participants (and Response Rates) from initial
sample of 300 - Baseline 113 (38)
- First-Year 191 (68)
- Sophomore 111 (64)
- Junior 132 (83)
- Senior 114 (70)
- Overall Demographics
- 61 female 39 male
- Age range 18-22 years (X 20.64)
- 70 White 7 Latino 5 Asian 3 Black 15
Other
9Measures
- Faith Attitudes and Behaviors
- Vocational Discernment and Action
- Barriers to Life Purpose
10Faith Attitudes and Behaviors
Subscales Sample Items
Strength of Belief (alpha .81) I view myself as a religious person. I have doubts about whether my religious beliefs are true.
Faith Behavior (alpha .88) How often do you attend religious services? How often have you read a devotional, religious, or spiritual book in the last year?
Application of Faith (alpha .90) I depend on my faith in God for decision-making and direction. I try hard to carry my religious beliefs into all other dealings in my life.
11Vocational Discernment and Action
Subscales Sample Items
Discernment and Purpose (alpha .76) I have a good sense for my life purpose. I know of the many ways that I can use my gifts and talents within the context of my professional career. I am unsure about what God is specifically calling me to do.
Service to Others (alpha .68) I am motivated to choose a career that will enable me to provide some type of service to others. I feel a deep sense of responsibility for reducing pain and suffering in the world.
12Vocational Barriers
Subscales Barriers to life purpose fulfillment
Personal Barriers (alpha .84) Fear Emotional Problems Self-doubt Lack of motivation
Interpersonal Barriers (alpha .86) A parent A friend A boy/girl friend A teacher or professor
Social and Cultural Barriers (alpha .90) Lack of financial resources Feeling pressure or a desire to get married Feeling that my opportunities are limited by the gender stereotypes of society
13Results
- Faith Development
- Identity Development
- Vocation Discernment and Action
- Development of Life Purpose Barriers
14Strength of Belief, Faith Behavior, and
Application of Faith
- Strength of Belief varied significantly over time
- Faith Behavior varied significantly over time
- Application of Faith did not vary significantly
over time
15I believe in God.
16My faith/religion is NOT very important to me.
17I continually look for ways to strengthen my
faith.
18Identity Development - Achievement
- Achieved Identity status varied significantly
over time
19Identity Development Moratorium
- Moratorium Identity status varied over time,
marginally
20Identity Development - Foreclosure
- Foreclosure Identity status varied significantly
over time
21Identity Development - Diffused
- Diffused Identity status did not vary
significantly over time
22Vocational Discernment and Action
- Vocational Discernment did not vary significantly
over time - Vocational Action, as service, did not vary
significantly over time
23I have a good sense of Gods purpose for my life.
24I am unsure about what God is specifically
calling me to do.
25I am motivated to choose a career that will
provide/fulfill
26Barriers to Life Purpose
- Total Personal Barriers scores varied over time,
marginally
27Emotional problems prevent me from fulfilling my
life purpose
28Selfishness prevents me from fulfilling my life
purpose
29Need for personal control prevents me from
fulfilling my life purpose
30Barriers to Life Purpose
- Total Interpersonal Barriers scores did not vary
significantly over time
31Barriers to Life Purpose
- Total Social and Cultural Barriers scores did not
vary significantly over time
32Conclusions
- College students experience significant
developmental variation over time - Strength of faith belief
- Faith behavior
- Identity development
- Foreclosure, Moratorium, Achievement
- Personal Barriers
33Bridges and Barriers in the Development of
Faith, Identity, and Life Purpose in College
Seniors
34Emergence of Positive Psychology
- Traditionally, the field of psychology has
focused on individuals maladaptive traits and
pathologies - Positive Psychology explores individual health
and well-being
35Life Purpose
- Life purpose is a popular area of research within
Positive Psychology -
- Life purpose is linked to well-being
- Life purpose is a core element in many university
mission statements
36What Contributes to Life Purpose?
- Faith
- Religion is one context in which we encounter
commitment to an ultimate concern or purpose - Identity
- Our ongoing life narratives allow us to
understand who we are and where we belong i.e.
our life purpose
37Faith and Life Purpose Bridges
- Religious conversion
- Life purpose evolves following conversion
euphoria, doubt, renewed strength and stability - Core experiences
- Experiences of feeling close with God, including
the perception that God dwells within, engender a
sense of life purpose - Spiritual strivings
- Sacred goals that aim for meaningful life
objectives, pertaining to a persons imago dei,
contribute to life purpose - Mysticism
- Strong emotional religious experience accompanies
a strong sense of life purpose - God Control
- The degree to which individuals perceive God as
being in control of their life can impact life
direction or purpose
38Identity and Life Purpose Bridges
- Developing a sense of identity out of life
stories and experiences leads to life meaning and
purpose - Identity confusion caused by lack of goals,
based on lack of direction negatively impacts
life purpose - Development of life purpose helps to resolve
identity crises
39Life Purpose Barriers
- To date, no studies have addressed factors that
inhibit ones understanding of life purpose - For those who experience discrimination, minority
status is negatively related to personal growth - There are many other potential barriers to life
purpose such as anxiety, financial circumstances,
personality, etc.
40Hypotheses Bridges Barriers to Life Purpose
- Faith development and identity achievement
positively predict life purpose - Specific barriers examined in the current study
negatively predict life purpose - Personality or personal emotions
- Views and opinions of others
- Social pressures or personal circumstances
41Participants
- 89 undergraduates (mean age 21.53)
- 60 female, 40 male
- 67 White, 6 Asian, 6 Latino, 10
Multiracial/Other - 64 Protestant, 14 Catholic, 2 Jewish, 1
Hindu, 18 Other/None - All participants were seniors at a Christian
university - Students were selected from the 2002 entering
class to participate in a longitudinal survey on
faith, identity, and vocation. This study
included 89 of these participants who responded
to two separate surveys given during their senior
year
42Measures Scales
- General Life Purpose Scale
- Life Purpose Barriers Scale
- Identity Scale
- Ego-Identity Status
- Faith Scales
- Faith Maturity
- Spiritual Transcendence
43General Life Purpose Scale
- Designed to measure overall sense of life purpose
- Sample items
- I have a good sense of purpose in life
- I have no sense of direction in life
- My life is valuable and worthwhile
- I am making a contribution to society
44General Life Purpose Responses
45Life Purpose Barriers Scale
- Measures factors that can prevent individuals
from fulfilling their life purpose - Yields scores on three subscales
- Personality or personal emotions
- Lack of motivation, fear, being uncertain of what
God wants - Views and opinions of others
- Parents, boyfriend or girlfriend, teachers
- Social pressures or personal circumstances
- Financial debt, feeling limited by gender
stereotypes
46Life Purpose Barriers Responses
47Life Purpose Barriers Responses
48Ego-Identity Status Survey
- Classifies subjects into one of four identity
groups - Achievement exploration and commitment
- It took me a while to figure it out, but now I
really know what I want for a career. - Moratorium exploration without commitment
- Religion is confusing to me right now. I keep
changing my views on what is right and wrong for
me. - Foreclosure no exploration, but commitment
- My parents decided a long time ago what I should
go into for employment and Im following through
with their plans. - Diffusion no exploration or commitment
- I havent really considered politics. It just
doesnt excite me much.
49Ego-Identity Status Responses
50Faith Maturity Scale
- Measures values and behavioral manifestations of
faith - Sample items
- My life is filled with meaning and purpose
- I have a real sense that God is guiding me
- My faith shapes how I think and act each and
every day - I devote time to reading and studying the Bible
51Faith Maturity Responses
52Faith Maturity Responses
53Faith Maturity Responses
54Spiritual Transcendence Scale
- Measures ability to step outside of oneself and
immediate surroundings to view life on large
scale, yielding three subscales - Connectedness assesses participants sense of
community and relationships with others - I am concerned about those who will come after me
in life - Prayer Fulfillment assesses participants prayer
or meditation experience - I have experienced deep fulfillment and bliss
through my prayers or meditations - Universality assesses participants sense of a
greater meaning in life - I believe that death is a doorway to another
plane of existence
55Spiritual Transcendence Responses
56Additional Results
- Barrier Gender Differences
- Faith Gender Differences
- Predictors of Life Purpose
57Gender Differences Personal Barriers
- Females perceive personal barriers to life
purpose at higher levels than males
58Gender Differences Social Pressure Barriers
- Females perceive social pressure barriers to life
purpose at higher levels than males
59Gender Differences Faith Variables
- Females scored significantly higher on Faith
Maturity Spiritual Transcendence
60Best Predictors of Life Purpose
Faith Maturity
Achieved Identity Status
Personal Barriers
Life Purpose
61Conclusions
- College students experience significant variation
in identity, faith, and life purpose development
over time - The sophomore year is a particularly critical
milestone - Barriers to development differ significantly by
gender - Females demonstrate greater faith maturity and
spirituality than males - Faith maturity, achieved identity, and personal
barriers are optimal predictors of life purpose
62Lessons Opportunities for Nurturing Student
Development at Christian Universities
- Engender faith growth mentoring, spiritual
nourishment, challenges - Promote self-discovery leading to achieved
identity reflective experiences summation as
well as formation - Respect the barriers
- Understand dynamics of gender
- Capitalize on opportunities for impact in the
sophomore year