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The purpose of this study was to explore the identity development of mixed race individuals in a Western Canadian context. The case study methodology was used to guide the overall procedure and participant selection. A thematic analysis was used to analyze patterns in the data. Four individuals of mixed race parentage were interviewed and five themes emerged: (a) the influence of family, (b) the influence of childhood experiences, (c) the influence of physical appearance, (d) the influence of racism, and (e) the influence of adult experiences. The detailed explorations of the participants experiences add to the Canadian literature on mixed race identity development, which provides several counselling implications and directions for future research. / Psychological Studies in Education

This thesis describes the relationship between adult attachment style, coping strategies, identity development and perception of social support. 107 participants answered four self-report questionnaires examining their attachment style, coping strategies, identity development status and perception of social support. Correlation analyses were used. Results showed secure attachment to significantly positively correlate with identity moratorium and to negatively correlate with identity foreclosure. Avoidant attachment significantly positively correlated with denial and mental disengagement and negatively correlated with seeking social support. Individuals with high avoidant attachment scores were more likely to have high scores for identity diffusion, more likely to perceive fewer available social supports and were less likely to be satisfied with this support. Anxious ambivalence positively correlated with denial and mental, behavioural and alcohol/drug disengagement, and negatively correlated with active and planning which are pro-active coping strategies. Anxious ambivalence positively correlated with identity diffusion and negatively with identity foreclosure. Individuals with high anxious ambivalence scores were more likely to be dissatisfied with social support. Overall, secure attachment was found to correlate with acknowledging the need for an identity search. Insecure attachment was found to relate to less effective coping methods, to correlate with not acknowledging the need for an identity search and dissatisfaction with social support. Results are considered in terms of attachment styles and applications, for example in therapeutic settings.

A strong professional counselor identity is vital for supervisees in training (Hansen, 2003). Supervision has been linked to enhancing the development of a professional identity in supervisees (Bernard & Goodyear, 2004). In a study of counselor interns, Weaks (2002) found supervisees require three core conditions in supervision necessary for developing a professional identity: equality, safety, and challenge. In a similar study, Howard, Inman, and Altman (2006) found beginning practicum supervisees experienced five critical incidents in their professional growth: professional identity, personal reactions, competence, supervision, and philosophy of counseling. The purpose of this study was to explore how practicum and internship supervisees across the two varying educational levels (practicum and internship) experience the development of a professional counselor identity in supervision. This study examined (a) whether internship supervisees experience the same five critical incidents in their development of a professional identity as practicum supervisees (Howard, Inman, & Altman; 2006), and (b) whether practicum supervisees require the same three core conditions (Weaks, 2002) necessary for developing a professional identity that internship supervisees experienced. My study found that internship supervisees experienced the same five critical incidents with fluctuation in their development of a professional identity as practicum supervisees in Howard et al.'s (2006) research. Conversely, practicum supervisees in my research did not require all three core conditions necessary for developing a professional identity that internship supervisees experienced in Weaks’ (2002) qualitative study. This study was significant in that it provided empirical research to assist supervisors and counselor educators in understanding the experiences of practicum and internship supervisees.

“One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman,” Simone de Beauvoir once famously said presenting the hypothesis that the idea of a woman, the female identity, is constructed as a reflection of its context. The purpose of this paper is to discover one aspect of this construction by exploring the identity development and expression of five young women, in the context of Saudi Arabia, to theorize about how they construct their ego identity and sense of self in the context in which they exist. Though in-depth conversations it is established how the women view themselves and their expression. This material is then reflected upon through the prism of defining identity and the identity status’ as explored by Eric Erikson and James Marcia as to create a further understanding of the women’s creation of self. The conclusion is that young women in Saudi Arabia construct their identity through negotiation. Faced with blurred lines of personal, religious and national identity, negotiation is unavoidable in the complex structure in which the women’s expression and development takes place.

Parents and peers play an important role in the lives of early adolescent boys but others may also be influential. This study considers the descriptions given by boys in their early adolescence, of their chosen, very important, nonparental adults and the interactions they have with these significant people. Primarily utilising a phenomenological approach, individual interviews and small group discussions were conducted with 11 and 14 year old boys. Four essences of the nature of the interactions between the boys and their chosen adults were identified within the boys' descriptions: fun and humour; care and encouragement; learning and teaching; and doing, being, becoming. Implications for parents, grandparents, teachers and others who care about, and work with, early adolescent boys are discussed.

This thesis describes the relationship between adult attachment style, coping strategies, identity development and perception of social support. 107 participants answered four self-report questionnaires examining their attachment style, coping strategies, identity development status and perception of social support. Correlation analyses were used. Results showed secure attachment to significantly positively correlate with identity moratorium and to negatively correlate with identity foreclosure. Avoidant attachment significantly positively correlated with denial and mental disengagement and negatively correlated with seeking social support. Individuals with high avoidant attachment scores were more likely to have high scores for identity diffusion, more likely to perceive fewer available social supports and were less likely to be satisfied with this support. Anxious ambivalence positively correlated with denial and mental, behavioural and alcohol/drug disengagement, and negatively correlated with active and planning which are pro-active coping strategies. Anxious ambivalence positively correlated with identity diffusion and negatively with identity foreclosure. Individuals with high anxious ambivalence scores were more likely to be dissatisfied with social support. Overall, secure attachment was found to correlate with acknowledging the need for an identity search. Insecure attachment was found to relate to less effective coping methods, to correlate with not acknowledging the need for an identity search and dissatisfaction with social support. Results are considered in terms of attachment styles and applications, for example in therapeutic settings.

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding and gather insight into the experiences of Cuban American women attending a 4-year, public, Hispanic Serving Institution and how those experiences influenced their identity development. This was accomplished by conducting in-depth interviews and focus groups with 12 self-identified Cuban American women who were classified as sophomores, juniors, seniors, or graduate students. All of the participants had attended Florida International University for at least 1 year. The women had varying degrees of on and off campus academic and campus involvement activities. Participants were asked about six topics: (a) family, (b) cultural influences, (c) gender, (d) ethical and moral development, (e) education, and (f) ethnic identity. Based on the coding of the data provided by the participants, several interconnected themes emerged including the importance of family, familial support, cultural pride, expected gender roles, core values, decision making, biculturalism, and the value of attending a Hispanic Serving Institution. These themes were found to be all related to the identity development of the participants. It was found that looking at identity through a multidimensional lens is essential. Looking at personal growth and development through anthropological, sociological, and psychosocial lenses gave greater insight to a population of students who have been largely underrepresented in the literature. The findings of this case study are that culture is contextual and identity development is complex for first and second generation Cuban American women attending a Hispanic Serving Institution in a majority minority city. It was found that several factors, including the importance of family and gender roles, were not found to be more important than one another; rather they supported each other in regards to the participants’ identity development. The notion of biculturalism as it has been presented in the literature was challenged in this study as it was found that the participants’ experiences living and attending a school in a majority minority city presented a new way of understanding what it might mean to be bicultural. For professionals in the field, the findings of this study may lead to a broader understanding of nuances within the Hispanic community and a better understanding of the distinctiveness of what it means to be a Cuban American woman.

This paper examines the role that group psychotherapy plays in promoting the development of identity in adolescents who are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity (ADHD). Negotiating identity issues is the central task of adolescence (Erikson, 1950). It is also one of the most difficult periods for ADHD adolescents because of their innate and learned sensitivities to the experience of shame. Shame is the feeling we have when we evaluate ourselves using the standards of valued others and of society and determine that we do not meet those standards (Lewis, 1992). Group psychotherapy thus becomes the treatment of choice for adolescents diagnosed with ADHD because the process of group psychotherapy addresses the issues of identity and shame in a way that individual therapy is unable.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Racism is a pervasive and destructive force in society and has no place in schools. White teachers, like all teachers, are responsible for creating a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students. This means being aware and actively working to combat their own biases and stereotypes, providing equal opportunities and support to all students. This instrumental, qualitative study captured the narratives of five White-identifying critically conscious teachers to understand how their critical consciousness is expressed and the opportunities and challenges they experience because of their anti-racism work. The central research question of this study was: How do critically conscious White teachers in a Southern Indiana school district experiencing demographic shifts engage in anti-racism work? Janet Helms’s White Racial Identity Development (WRID) theory was used to explain the teachers’ work towards anti-racism in schools. The findings from this study indicated that White identifying critically conscious teachers White teachers: a) leverage their privilege to promote anti-racism, b) use culturally relevant practices, c) engage in co-conspirator work, d) actively collaborate with BIPOC students and teachers, e) are instrumental in supporting anti-racism efforts, f) are content with making a positive impact on students and society, g) perceive and experience negative professional consequences as a result of their anti-racism work. This study has important implications for teachers, school administrators, and education system stakeholders.