This study examined origins of possible selves and the role of Epiphanies. Specifically, of interest was whether there are demographic or self-regulatory differences in possible selves derived from different origins. The sample consisted of 411 participants, with age ranging from 17 – 95. The data was taken from two previous research studies on possible selves. The first research question examined the origins of possible selves. Results indicate that possible selves are derived from Epiphany experiences along with internal and external influences, such as another person, or a particular event. The second research question determined whether there were any demographic, ethnic, or cultural differences in the origins of possible selves. Results showed age, cohort, and socioeconomic status had effects. The final research question addressed whether there were differences in the domains of possible selves derived from various origins. Results indicated differences in domains however there were no clear patterns. The first hypothesis was that possible selves derived from an Epiphany would be considered more important than those derived from other origins. This hypothesis was not supported. The second hypothesis was that hoped-for possible selves were more likely to be derived from an Epiphany experience than feared selves. This hypothesis was supported. The second hypothesis also stated that possible selves derived from an Epiphany were more likely to be balanced than selves derived from other origins and this was supported for feared selves only. Finally, the third hypothesis stated that there would be self-regulatory differences between selves derived from Epiphanies compared to other origins but this was not supported. Taken together these findings show that the origins of possible selves are important and especially those derived from epiphany. The role of an Epiphany on the formation and implementation of possible selves paves the way for important prevention programs aimed at promoting healthy development and promoting an individual’s well being.

SammanfattningDenna undersökning behandlade en del av kommunikationen mellan ledare ochmedarbetare, avseende utvecklingssamtal på arbetsplatser. Syftet med undersökningenvar att försöka uppmärksamma en av de faktorer som kan ha en inverka på utfallet av ettutvecklingssamtal, denna faktor var possible selves. Tidigare forskning visade på attutvecklingssamtalet spelade en viktig roll i våra arbetsliv och privatliv. Den tidigareforskningen om possible selves uppmärksammade att detta begrepp är komplext ochanvändbart i många olika livssituationer. Vi valde att angripa detta ämne genom enkvalitativ metod där vi använde ett kvalitativt instrument, Possible Selves StatementTest. Detta test delades ut på 7st olika företag/instutioner, där vi samlade in 32 svar frånmedarbetare och ledare. Denna studies resultat påvisade att det fanns innehållsmässigaskillnader mellan ledare och medarbetare i deras konstruktion av sina possible selves.De tydligaste skillnaderna som framkom hos ledarna och medarbetarna var deras olikauppfattning om utvecklingssamtalets ändamål.M. Stralforss & J. Josephson3AbstractGenom ett kvalitativt instrument undersöktes ledares och medarbetares föreställningarinför framtida utvecklingssamtal (possible selves). Denna studie påvisade att det fannsinnehållsmässiga skillnader mellan ledare och medarbetare i deras konstruktion av sinapossible selves. De väsentligaste skillnaderna bestod i ledarnas och medarbetarnas olikauppfattning om utvecklingssamtalets syfte. Antalet deltagare i denna undersökning var32st.

Transitions during adolescence can be difficult, but for youth in custody, transitions present a unique set of challenges (Collins, 2001), particularly when moving out of custody and into the community. Considerable research has been done on youth in custody, but few researchers have asked youth for their own thoughts about their future and return to the community. This qualitative study was conducted to explore the possible selves of seven youth in the Victoria Youth Custody Centre in Victoria, BC. Elicited through the Possible Selves Mapping Process (Marshall & Guenette, 2011) and semi-structured interviews, the youth described a number of hoped-for selves, including getting out of the system, not returning to jail, concern for their families, and educational and work aspirations. Feared selves included returning to custody, not being successful in life, and returning to their criminal ways. Participants also identified supports and barriers related to their release. Supports included professionals, programs, and establishing healthy relationships in their lives. Perceived barriers included drugs and alcohol, poor peer relations, and repercussions of their criminal lifestyle. The results have important implications for research, practice and policy regarding youth in custody. / Graduate

This study examined how middle school students planned to obtain future STEM college majors and careers through a possible selves curriculum in a 13-week, in-school cognitive apprenticeship model. STEM undergraduates mentored STEM-interested middle school mentees (N= 21) from six under-served middle schools. Through possible selves activities, mentees worked on strategies to avoid becoming their feared possible self and become their hoped-for possible self. In the middle of the semester, mentee self-reported competency in STEM fields, motivation, administrator-reported STEM course grades, and STEM attendance were collected. On average, mentees felt 10.67% more motivated to pursue STEM than they felt competent in STEM. Mentees who reported higher competency tended to have higher course grades, and mentees who reported higher motivation tended to have higher attendance, although attendance was high overall, indicating insufficient sample size or variance to demonstrate significance. Mentees who attended class more tended to have a higher course grade but the same statistical issue occurred in that there may not have been a significant correlation due to sampling and self- selection biases. The majority of mentees identified unrelated possible selves, defined concrete self-improvement and abstract self-maintenance strategies, identified self-discipline as a requirement in middle school, described intellectual independence and teacher harmony strategies to solve everyday problems in middle school, identified instructivist college requirements, described responsibility as a transferable strategy, and dependence on an expert as a nontransferable strategy to solve long-term problems in college to obtain their STEM possible self.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Educational Leadership / Kakali Bhattacharya / Royce Ann Collins / How can an adult make meaning from and develop through experiences of mental illness, spiritual awareness, and death? The purpose of this autoethnographic bildungsroman is to explore how a male in the general population describes how life events have influenced his identity development over a period of 23 years, spanning three decades. The researcher-participant asks two primary questions: 1) How does the individual describe his adult development in terms of life events or “individual and cultural episodes” (Smith & Taylor, 2010, p. 52) related to mental illness, spiritual awareness, and death over time? and 2) How does the individual describe his possible selves in constructing a new sense of identity? Addressing these questions contributes to the literature of adult and continuing education by providing a glimpse into stories of lived experiences over time in the light of adult development.

Denna kvantitativa enkätstudie har sin utgångspunkt i empowerment och har utförts på ett svenskt brukarstyrt företag som bedriver missbruksrehabilitering efter en empowermentbaserad arbetsmodell. Denna rehabiliteringsmodell innebär att man aktivt jobbar med att stärka individens självbild och att öka dennes egenmakt. Syftet med modellen är att individen genom ökad självkontroll ska kunna ta ansvar för sin livssituation och därmed uppbringa den nödvändiga motivation som krävs för att få till stånd en långsiktig förändring. Studien har undersökt skillnader i possible selves mellan individer som befinner sig i respektive har fullgjort sin rehabilitering och som därefter valt att stanna kvar i verksamheten. Respondenterna ombads ange hur starka positiva respektive negativa känslor de förknippade med ett antal fördefinierade possible selves. Hälften av dessa possible selves var ämnade att ha positiv karaktär och den andra hälften att ha negativ karaktär. Respondenterna fick även skatta sannolikheten för att de själva skulle hamna i den aktuella situationen som varje påstående beskrev. Resultatet visade att de som fortfarande befann sig i rehabiliteringsfasen rapporterade fler negativa possible selves med åtminstone någon sannolikhet att inträffa. Styrkan på sannolikheten för att negativa possible selves skulle inträffa skattades också högre av denna grupp. Även antalet balanserade possible selves, alltså ett positivt och ett negativt possible self inom samma område, var fler i rehabiliteringsgruppen. Antagandet att en skillnad skulle föreligga även i avseendet synen på positiva possible selves fann studien inget stöd för. / <p>This quantitative study has been designed with the concept empowerment as its starting point and has been conducted at a Swedish employee run corporation which is managing drug rehabilitation with an empowerment based working-model. This rehabilitation-model means actively pursuing the strengthening of the individual’s self-concept and to increase one´s sense of self-control. The purpose of the model is that the individual through increased self-control should be able to take responsibility for one´s life-situation and thereby seize the necessary motivation which is required to make a lasting change. This study has investigated the differences in possible selves between individuals who are undergoing, as opposed to have completed, rehabilitation and who thereafter have chosen to remain in the operations. The respondents were asked to report the strength of their positive and negative feelings respectively associated with a set of predefined possible selves. Half of these possible selves were designed to have a positive character while the other half where designed to have a negative character. The respondents also got to report the likelihood that they themselves would end up in the situation that each statement described. The result showed that those who were still in the rehabilitation phase reported more negative possible selves with at least some probability to come about. The strength of the probability that negative possible selves would come about was also reported higher by this group. The number of balanced possible selves, meaning a positive and a negative possible self within the same domain, were also more numerous in the rehabilitation-group. The assumption that there would also be a difference in the view regarding positive possible selves was not supported by this study.</p><p>Program: Organisations- och personalutvecklare i samhället</p>

In order to assist people in making positive changes of problematic behaviour it is necessary to examine how people change and what factors influence the process. Criminal offenders represent a group of individuals who often have difficulty desisting from problematic behaviour and continue to engage in illegal activity. Offenders in provincial correctional institutions were administered questionnaires to determine stage of change and processes utilized as outlined in the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of change (Prochaska & DiClemente, 1984). Additionally, offenders were asked about their visions of the future using the Possible Selves (PSs) Model (Markus & Nurius, 1986). Taken together, this study looked at the contribution of the PSs Model to our understanding of the TTM, which has been criticized in recent years as lacking therapeutic significance for treatment providers as they guide individuals through the change process. More specifically, this study compares chronic criminals with first time offenders on psychological variables such as readiness for change, vision of possible selves, and hope for the future, as well as on legal variables such as risk for recidivism and institutional behaviour. The results indicate that most offenders acknowledged their behaviour as problematic and some even reported they were actively taking steps to change; however, chronic offenders admitted having less hope than first time offenders. Interestingly, both groups rated similarly on the dimensions of PSs. The outcomes would suggest that research efforts to incorporate other complimentary theories of change into the TTM, like the PSs model, may be helpful for understanding the process of change. While it seems these models may not be useful for predicting institutional behaviour, the data perhaps demonstrates the complexity of criminal behaviour and speaks to the necessity of further research in this population.

Deaf individuals’ relationship with English has historically been problematic, in large part because of the lack of full accessibility to the language. However, language takes up not only communicative space, but also psychological space in our lives. The psychological dimensions involved with English language learning for deaf individuals are largely unknown. This study addressed this gap by exploring psychological dimensions involved with language learning for deaf individuals while concurrently exploring the role of computer-mediated communication in enhancing direct and interactive accessibility of English. The psychological dimensions of interest in this study originate from self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1977), possible selves (Markus & Nurius, 1986), and the L2 Motivational Self System (Dörnyei, 2005, 2009a). This study had three main goals: 1) to examine the motivational characteristics of deaf language learners, 2) to assess whether those characteristics would change over time, and 3) to assess the role of CMC in language learning experiences. This study took place over the course of a semester in college classes designed for deaf students studying English. Selected classes were asked to use online chat as an instructional tool. Measures were administered at the beginning and the end of the semester, and students were asked to participate in focus groups to discuss their experiences. A mixed methods approach that made use of quantitative and qualitative methods was used to capture the complexity involved in second language learning for the deaf student, including contextual influences. Overall findings indicate that deaf students’ self-images, self-efficacy beliefs, attitudes, and motivated behaviors about English were positive, but significantly influenced by the context in which language use occurs. When the environment was seen as accessible, beneficial, and enjoyable, deaf students were able to utilize greater levels of individual agency towards the aim of learning English. Computer-mediated communication emerged as an affordance that enabled “seeing English,” indicating dynamic, interactive engagement with English when ideal conditions were met. Thus, CMC appears to allow for a language learning experience that is available and accessible for deaf learners, and can provide opportunities to prime possible selves as English language users. / text

This is an exploratory study, using quantitative and qualitative tools, studying younger adult students (aged 18 to 25) at a college in Ontario and proposes that younger adult notions of possible selves are strengthened through engaging with models for possible selves by conducting informational interviews with them. Research was conducted in the classroom and outside of the classroom (but on campus) using a methodological framework informed by the scholarship of teaching and learning. Anticipated outcomes include a further understanding of the researcher’s own practice in order to improve it, a further grounding of the researcher’s personal theory of practice, and useful data for other researchers interested in using possible selves as a lens to understand their teaching. The results of the study indicate that there are other issues and concerns related to notions of possible selves, including goal-setting and a sense of having choice and control over one’s fate. Implications for practice include recommendations that more opportunities and tools for the development of possible selves be offered to students and that these opportunities can be found in existing courses and programs. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2011-04-06 14:36:02.109

In order to assist people in making positive changes of problematic behaviour it is necessary to examine how people change and what factors influence the process. Criminal offenders represent a group of individuals who often have difficulty desisting from problematic behaviour and continue to engage in illegal activity. Offenders in provincial correctional institutions were administered questionnaires to determine stage of change and processes utilized as outlined in the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of change (Prochaska & DiClemente, 1984). Additionally, offenders were asked about their visions of the future using the Possible Selves (PSs) Model (Markus & Nurius, 1986). Taken together, this study looked at the contribution of the PSs Model to our understanding of the TTM, which has been criticized in recent years as lacking therapeutic significance for treatment providers as they guide individuals through the change process. More specifically, this study compares chronic criminals with first time offenders on psychological variables such as readiness for change, vision of possible selves, and hope for the future, as well as on legal variables such as risk for recidivism and institutional behaviour. The results indicate that most offenders acknowledged their behaviour as problematic and some even reported they were actively taking steps to change; however, chronic offenders admitted having less hope than first time offenders. Interestingly, both groups rated similarly on the dimensions of PSs. The outcomes would suggest that research efforts to incorporate other complimentary theories of change into the TTM, like the PSs model, may be helpful for understanding the process of change. While it seems these models may not be useful for predicting institutional behaviour, the data perhaps demonstrates the complexity of criminal behaviour and speaks to the necessity of further research in this population.