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30
Cross and Madsen (1997) as well as, Baumeister and Sommer (1997)
contended that women and men use different types of relationships to sustain a sense
of connectedness. Lee and Robbins (2000) found that women search for
relationships that foster intimacy, enhance feelings of connectedness, and involve
physical proximity to others which provide for attachment, reliable alliance, as well
as opportunities for nurturance. Conversely, men seek relationships that involve
social comparisons and emphasize power and status in order to provide for a
reassurance of worth (Lee & Robbins, 2000).
Cramer (2000), too, found that females were characterized by connectedness
and social concerns, whereas males were characterized by self-definition and
autonomy. Others have found, however, that whereas male identity development is
more aligned with intrapersonal patterns as Erikson suggested, female identity
formation involves both interpersonal and intrapersonal issues. (Archer,1985; Lytle,
Bakken & Romig, 1997.) These findings suggest an association between the
development of autonomy and the establishing of relationships for women.
The importance of focusing on women’s identity development as a separate
process was outlined in the previous section. If the research community is to
accurately assess and progress in understanding the identity development of students,
then conceptual and empirical data must be differentiated by gender. That is, male
and female identity development should be studied as separate processes, for
empirical data suggests gender specific developmental pathways.
Object Description
| Title | Student perspectives on identity development: describing the experiences sorority members perceive influenced their identity |
| Author | Sarkissian, Vergene |
| Author email | vergenes@usc.edu; sarkv@hotmail.com |
| Degree | Doctor of Education |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | Education |
| School | Rossier School of Education |
| Date defended/completed | 2008-05-13 |
| Date submitted | 2008 |
| Restricted until | Restricted until 2 Oct. 2009. |
| Date published | 2009-10-02 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Goodyear, Rodney K. |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Malloy, Courtney Espalin, Charles A. |
| Abstract | This qualitative study examined the college related sources of impact that sorority member students perceived affected their identity development. A variant of Flanagan's (1954) Critical Incident Technique was used to ask sorority members (n=70) to describe one or two critical incidents that they believed had affected their sense of self, and then to rate the immediate positivity of the incident, as well its eventual effect on their sense of self. Three doctoral students reviewed the 100 obtained incident reports, from which they developed 14 themes: Participating in rush an/or joining a sorority; Being elected or serving in a sorority leadership position; Dealing with crisis; Receiving the support of sisters with in the sorority network; Being elected or serving in a leadership position in a campus related organization; Learning about myself as a result of a romantic relationship; Making an important, independent decision for myself; Making a commitment to community service and outreach; Sorority affiliated judgment or rejection; Having an experience of failure; Making the transition from home to college; Studying abroad; Receiving personal or career guidance from others; Engaging in a selfless act of compassion. The findings of this study provide valuable insight and knowledge to the potential benefits of sorority affiliation in regards to college women's identity development. The findings also support previous research on women's identity development and suggest gender specific developmental pathways. In congruence with student development research and theory, experiences related to student involvement, relationship, autonomy and crisis were prevalent in the participant responses. The limitations of the study, recommendations for future research and implications for higher education practice are also presented. |
| Keyword | identity development; women's identity development; sorority membership; sorority network; student inolvement; leadership; relationships; mentorship; social capital; crisis; autonomy; study abroad |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Digitized by the University of Southern California |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m1619 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Sarkissian, Vergene |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-Sarkissian-2435 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume14/etd-Sarkissian-2435.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 38 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 30 Cross and Madsen (1997) as well as, Baumeister and Sommer (1997) contended that women and men use different types of relationships to sustain a sense of connectedness. Lee and Robbins (2000) found that women search for relationships that foster intimacy, enhance feelings of connectedness, and involve physical proximity to others which provide for attachment, reliable alliance, as well as opportunities for nurturance. Conversely, men seek relationships that involve social comparisons and emphasize power and status in order to provide for a reassurance of worth (Lee & Robbins, 2000). Cramer (2000), too, found that females were characterized by connectedness and social concerns, whereas males were characterized by self-definition and autonomy. Others have found, however, that whereas male identity development is more aligned with intrapersonal patterns as Erikson suggested, female identity formation involves both interpersonal and intrapersonal issues. (Archer,1985; Lytle, Bakken & Romig, 1997.) These findings suggest an association between the development of autonomy and the establishing of relationships for women. The importance of focusing on women’s identity development as a separate process was outlined in the previous section. If the research community is to accurately assess and progress in understanding the identity development of students, then conceptual and empirical data must be differentiated by gender. That is, male and female identity development should be studied as separate processes, for empirical data suggests gender specific developmental pathways. |
