Page 97 |
Save page Remove page | Previous | 97 of 154 | Next |
|
small (250x250 max)
medium (500x500 max)
Large (1000x1000 max)
Extra Large
large ( > 500x500)
Full Resolution
All (PDF)
|
This page
All
|
89
This study also found romantic relationships to have an affect on the identity
development of study participants. Eight incidents were of that type. Most incidents
involved participants dealing with conflict or dishonesty.
One participant stated that she learned about herself as a result of a friend’s
negative romantic experience. The participant states that “this incident really opened
my eyes to how girls allow their sense of self to be shaped by boys….” She later
reveals that “while giving her advice, it made me realize that one cannot allow a boy
to dictate their conceptions of their own confidence, worth, and legitimacy.” Scheele
(2003) also posits that she witnessed many of her sorority sisters “defining
themselves in terms of their boyfriends or other members of the sorority.” (Scheele,
2003, p.120).
Another participant described how she learned to become autonomous as a
result of her romantic relationships. She writes “I realized that I didn’t need my
boyfriend to go out and have a good time and get attention…..I had become
incredibly dependent on him…..I feel like the realization that I could move on
without him and that I could stand alone as a person was great progress for me.”
Many other examples of experiences involving autonomy are found in the next
category.
Autonomy
The development of autonomy is considered central in the formation of
identity (Chickering & Reisser, 1993; Erikson, 1968). The role of relationships as
facilitating agents in developing autonomy has been well documented (Greeley &
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 97 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 89 This study also found romantic relationships to have an affect on the identity development of study participants. Eight incidents were of that type. Most incidents involved participants dealing with conflict or dishonesty. One participant stated that she learned about herself as a result of a friend’s negative romantic experience. The participant states that “this incident really opened my eyes to how girls allow their sense of self to be shaped by boys….” She later reveals that “while giving her advice, it made me realize that one cannot allow a boy to dictate their conceptions of their own confidence, worth, and legitimacy.” Scheele (2003) also posits that she witnessed many of her sorority sisters “defining themselves in terms of their boyfriends or other members of the sorority.” (Scheele, 2003, p.120). Another participant described how she learned to become autonomous as a result of her romantic relationships. She writes “I realized that I didn’t need my boyfriend to go out and have a good time and get attention…..I had become incredibly dependent on him…..I feel like the realization that I could move on without him and that I could stand alone as a person was great progress for me.” Many other examples of experiences involving autonomy are found in the next category. Autonomy The development of autonomy is considered central in the formation of identity (Chickering & Reisser, 1993; Erikson, 1968). The role of relationships as facilitating agents in developing autonomy has been well documented (Greeley & |
