Self-Authorship
Reflection #2 College was the time that I began to discover and explore my identities, beliefs, and the reasons why I held particular views. Theories and models of student development help illuminate how student affairs workers are able to understand, assist, and provide tools for students to discover their passions and live their most authentic lives. Throughout this essay, I will discuss the theory of self-authorship and the model of multiple dimensions of identity (MMDI), which I believe are two powerful concepts to help students discover themselves and allow student affairs workers to more deeply understand their students.
Self-Authorship
From the theorizing of Kegan (1994) and Baxter-Magolda (2008) came the concept of self-authorship, which Baxter-Magolda (2008) described as "the internal capacity to define one's beliefs, identity, and social relations" (as cited in Guido, Patton, Renn, & Quaye, 2016, p. 355). Over the course of the semester, self-authorship has been one of the concepts I found most useful for living an authentic life and providing benefits to future students.
Throughout my early years in school, I never …show more content…
would reflect on who I was as an individual; my academic accomplishments in school and my ability to memorize and reproduce information was the foundation upon which I built my internal framework. Drawing from Baxter-Magolda's (1992) epistemological reflection model, I was fixed within the first stage of absolute knowing, where students "view instructors as authorities with answers, and the purpose of evaluation […] to reproduce what one has learned […]" (as cited in Guido et al., 2016, p. 363). However, as I have grown as an individual, I realize that this knowledge is not always absolute. Baxter-Magolda's (1992) final stage of the epistemological model is contextual knowing, which "involves the belief that the legitimacy of knowledge is determined contextually" (Guido et al., 2016, p. 364). While I personally may not be at this stage, I hope to continue in my "evolution of ways of knowing" in order to reflect, make meaning, and live my most authentic life (Guido et al., 2016, p. 364). As self-authorship posits, each individual is on a journey in life; how we make sense of our context, grow as individuals, reflect, and experience tumultuous crossroads shape our internal frameworks. Self-authorship is not only useful to individual development, but it may also be seen within the wider framework of higher education. As a future student affairs worker, it is important to help students "cultivate their internal voices […] and help reduce external noise" during their time in college (Baxter-Magolda, 2008, p. 282). This may be offering them a quiet space to work or helping them deal with stressful life events. Thus, the student affairs worker is integral in their students' self-authorship journey. As Baxter-Magolda (1999) stated, these conversations can help students become "clearer about what they know, why they hold the beliefs they do, and how they want to act on their beliefs" (as cited in Guido et al., 2016, p. 374).
Although I see this theory as important for my future students to develop their most authentic selves, there are limitations. Self-authorship is a privileged concept, for not all students have the luxury or time to reflect upon themselves; they have constraints, obligations, and family members depending upon them. In addition, self-authorship omits the discussion of race from its theorizing, which is a crucial intersectionality that must be explored. Nonetheless, I do believe students cultivating their internal frameworks and beliefs are important parts of learning during their undergraduate careers. In future conversations with students, I hope to be an informational resource, as well as allow them to reflect upon their own journey and sense of self. Although every student may not have the immediate privilege to reflect during their time in college, student affairs educators can give the tools for life-development and self-exploration.
The Model of Multiple Identity The model of multiple dimensions of identity (MMDI) explains "the dynamic construction of identity and the influence of changing contexts on the relative salience of multiple identity dimensions" (Abes, Jones, & McEwan, 2007, p. 3). In relation to college students, the MMDI is useful in exploring how students make meaning of their identities in their environment. In addition, the MMDI helps one discern how their filter and identities can inform student development and learning within higher education. My chosen filter when completing the MMDI was Loyola University Chicago, which I attended as an undergraduate. During my time at Loyola, many of my salient identities, such as being White, a woman, and Catholic were not always at the forefront of my thinking. However, my Celiac Disease was apparent at every dining hall, campus restaurant, event with food, class snack, etc. Due to my experiences and battles with this university in order to receive accommodations, I became aware of colleges' oversight regarding those with disabilities. Thus, due to my filter of Loyola University Chicago, my ability identity became the most salient, which has informed my future practice as a student affairs worker. I am now more aware and conscious of those with disabilities and their fight for equal treatment and accommodations within higher education, whether it be gaining access to a building, or trying to find a note-taker for a student in class. Overall, the MMDI is an important and useful model within higher education, for it observes the holistic development of the student, "that is, the complex and fluid intersection of epistemological (or cognitive), psychosocial, and social identity domains of development" (Abes et al., 2007, p.
15). The MMDI observes the variability and salience of students' identities within different contexts. As future student affairs workers, we can use the MMDI to more profoundly understand our students and their experiences within higher education. The MMDI will help one to understand the flexibility of students' identity saliences regarding their context. In addition, one must also remember that although we may not always be able to physically see salient identities, they affect how our students make meaning of themselves in their
context.
Conclusion
My higher education experience allowed me to develop, reflect, and grow as an individual. As a future student affairs worker, I believe it is important to nurture our students on their own paths in life, while keeping in mind their identities and feelings within their environment. In this essay I have discussed self-authorship theory, which is an important theory in discovering oneself, and providing students the tools to reflect upon their own being. In addition, the model of multiple dimensions of identity (MMDI) informs student affairs workers about the variability of student identity salience depending on their context. These two concepts may help those in higher education more profoundly understand their students while guiding them academically, and more generally, guiding them in life.
Self-Authorship
From the theorizing of Kegan (1994) and Baxter-Magolda (2008) came the concept of self-authorship, which Baxter-Magolda (2008) described as "the internal capacity to define one's beliefs, identity, and social relations" (as cited in Guido, Patton, Renn, & Quaye, 2016, p. 355). Over the course of the semester, self-authorship has been one of the concepts I found most useful for living an authentic life and providing benefits to future students.
Throughout my early years in school, I never …show more content…
would reflect on who I was as an individual; my academic accomplishments in school and my ability to memorize and reproduce information was the foundation upon which I built my internal framework. Drawing from Baxter-Magolda's (1992) epistemological reflection model, I was fixed within the first stage of absolute knowing, where students "view instructors as authorities with answers, and the purpose of evaluation […] to reproduce what one has learned […]" (as cited in Guido et al., 2016, p. 363). However, as I have grown as an individual, I realize that this knowledge is not always absolute. Baxter-Magolda's (1992) final stage of the epistemological model is contextual knowing, which "involves the belief that the legitimacy of knowledge is determined contextually" (Guido et al., 2016, p. 364). While I personally may not be at this stage, I hope to continue in my "evolution of ways of knowing" in order to reflect, make meaning, and live my most authentic life (Guido et al., 2016, p. 364). As self-authorship posits, each individual is on a journey in life; how we make sense of our context, grow as individuals, reflect, and experience tumultuous crossroads shape our internal frameworks. Self-authorship is not only useful to individual development, but it may also be seen within the wider framework of higher education. As a future student affairs worker, it is important to help students "cultivate their internal voices […] and help reduce external noise" during their time in college (Baxter-Magolda, 2008, p. 282). This may be offering them a quiet space to work or helping them deal with stressful life events. Thus, the student affairs worker is integral in their students' self-authorship journey. As Baxter-Magolda (1999) stated, these conversations can help students become "clearer about what they know, why they hold the beliefs they do, and how they want to act on their beliefs" (as cited in Guido et al., 2016, p. 374).
Although I see this theory as important for my future students to develop their most authentic selves, there are limitations. Self-authorship is a privileged concept, for not all students have the luxury or time to reflect upon themselves; they have constraints, obligations, and family members depending upon them. In addition, self-authorship omits the discussion of race from its theorizing, which is a crucial intersectionality that must be explored. Nonetheless, I do believe students cultivating their internal frameworks and beliefs are important parts of learning during their undergraduate careers. In future conversations with students, I hope to be an informational resource, as well as allow them to reflect upon their own journey and sense of self. Although every student may not have the immediate privilege to reflect during their time in college, student affairs educators can give the tools for life-development and self-exploration.
The Model of Multiple Identity The model of multiple dimensions of identity (MMDI) explains "the dynamic construction of identity and the influence of changing contexts on the relative salience of multiple identity dimensions" (Abes, Jones, & McEwan, 2007, p. 3). In relation to college students, the MMDI is useful in exploring how students make meaning of their identities in their environment. In addition, the MMDI helps one discern how their filter and identities can inform student development and learning within higher education. My chosen filter when completing the MMDI was Loyola University Chicago, which I attended as an undergraduate. During my time at Loyola, many of my salient identities, such as being White, a woman, and Catholic were not always at the forefront of my thinking. However, my Celiac Disease was apparent at every dining hall, campus restaurant, event with food, class snack, etc. Due to my experiences and battles with this university in order to receive accommodations, I became aware of colleges' oversight regarding those with disabilities. Thus, due to my filter of Loyola University Chicago, my ability identity became the most salient, which has informed my future practice as a student affairs worker. I am now more aware and conscious of those with disabilities and their fight for equal treatment and accommodations within higher education, whether it be gaining access to a building, or trying to find a note-taker for a student in class. Overall, the MMDI is an important and useful model within higher education, for it observes the holistic development of the student, "that is, the complex and fluid intersection of epistemological (or cognitive), psychosocial, and social identity domains of development" (Abes et al., 2007, p.
15). The MMDI observes the variability and salience of students' identities within different contexts. As future student affairs workers, we can use the MMDI to more profoundly understand our students and their experiences within higher education. The MMDI will help one to understand the flexibility of students' identity saliences regarding their context. In addition, one must also remember that although we may not always be able to physically see salient identities, they affect how our students make meaning of themselves in their
context.
Conclusion
My higher education experience allowed me to develop, reflect, and grow as an individual. As a future student affairs worker, I believe it is important to nurture our students on their own paths in life, while keeping in mind their identities and feelings within their environment. In this essay I have discussed self-authorship theory, which is an important theory in discovering oneself, and providing students the tools to reflect upon their own being. In addition, the model of multiple dimensions of identity (MMDI) informs student affairs workers about the variability of student identity salience depending on their context. These two concepts may help those in higher education more profoundly understand their students while guiding them academically, and more generally, guiding them in life.