Dr Heather Carpenter Glenys Ker
Capable NZ
CDANZ 2014
Identity, learning and growing
professional identity
Who do you think you are?
What is your identity?
How do you define yourself?
At a social gathering what do you say
when someone asks you what you
do?
Sense of self
Strong?
Possibly just a few
For many: often fragile, uncertain, confused
Self Identity
..the self as reflexively understood by the individual
in terms of his or her biography, portraying ‘not just
who we are but what we make of
ourselves’(Giddens )
Autobiography is at the heart of self identity – a
narrative where the self is made explicit……
When we examine our ‘selves’ closely – careers,
roles, values, we develop the self assessment and
reflection skills that grow a strong sense of self.
Identity as compass
Identity has been broadly defined as “how a
person sees himself or herself”, and in relation
to career, as the “internal compass” which
keeps the person headed on the path most
suited to their values and goals (Hall, 2002)
Identity and career
Strongly interwoven…..(Cochran, 1990)
Reflects the individuals sense of who they are,
who they wish to be, their hopes, dreams fears
and frustrations …..(Young and Collins, 2000)
Self-Identity
The most important facet of career development
The ‘who we are’, self discovery aspect
“Career development, from the individuals point of
view, is a continuing quest for what one truly is,
and what one wants to do.”
Hall (2002)
Professional Identity
Professional identity is defined as the relatively
stable and enduring constellation of attributes,
beliefs, values, motives, and experiences in terms
of which people define themselves in a
professional role (Ibarra, 2000).
Professional identity
Historically, professional identity was viewed as a
single construct- more recently identity scholars
have paved the way to examine the way to
consider the multiple personal and social identities
that make up professional identity ( Kram,
Wasserman and Yip, 2012).
At the intersection
Professional identity formation
can be framed within the context of social identity
is a systematic way of evaluating, identifying and
organising the perception of self (Erikson, 1968)
May concern group interactions in the workplace
and relates to how people compare and
differentiate themselves from other professional
groups
As career practitioners, we have been exploring
this….
Relating to professions
‘Professional identity is one of the multiple social
identities an individual holds. Socialisation into
the professional community provides a sense of
stability, belonging, and values, and it reduces
ambiguity.
The profession as an institution provides the
scripts on which individual professionals
draw in their daily practice.’
Professional Identity
Relating to individuals
‘Every professional has a professional identity – the
question is how conscious and purposefully chosen
it is. It is impossible to imagine a professional
without a professional identity, but it is possible that
professionals cannot articulate their professional
values and commitments hence cannot
purposefully draw on the core of their identity.’
Trede, F. (2012)
How is it developed?
Professional identity development involves the
acquisition of new role behaviours and new views
of the self …….
(Think about the CV as an identity tool – what can
happen in the discussion of skills, abilities….)
Multiply (x 10) the effects of facilitated reflection
on roles and learning …a conscious and
purposeful process
Identity awareness/growth
‘self-identity is self-awareness, the extent to which
one has a clear understanding of one’s own values,
goals, needs, interests, abilities and purpose. Thus
identity growth is not just knowing yourself but
knowing how to learn more about yourself. Of
course we need feedback and help from others to
do this. Thus much of identity development is a
relational process.” (Hall 2002)
Process of facilitated reviews of
learning
Involves a rigorous self-assessment process
Demands critical analysis
Is intensively reflective and autobiographical
Includes a portfolio process
Heightens self awareness
(process happens at undergraduate, graduate and
doctoral level – Professional Practice degrees)
i.e all factors present for identity growth
Reflection – on Self In the work that we do through CAPABLENZ
…supporting people to gain qualifications via
assessment of prior learning the first step is a Review
of Your Learning ie
Unpack your early influences, beliefs, views of self in
the context of growing up – what are some of the things
that spring to mind when you take yourself back there?
What was important to you? Why? What did you
believe? Who were role models and why? Want to be
and do? ie understanding of self, characteristics,
motivations, beliefs, values
Reflection on Work (Work Based Learning)
The next stage is ‘unpacking those areas of your life
where you have worked in and learnt about, made a
difference to, had key learning and developed
capabilities’ – what was your role, what did you do, how
did you learn, what was profound (great learning – good
and bad), what came naturally and why?
Then thinking about and giving voice to how that work
has impacted on you – and the connection to theory –
what were the connections, relevancy, areas where you
‘got it’, made sense of, understood – and applied that to
your practice?
Learning Plan
The learning through these projects should be
relevant for your future career development, should
build on what you already know in your proposed
field of study/work/career, and be valuable to you
and your future. To help you decide what to learn,
you could identify the sort of knowledge and skills:
that will make you better at your current role, or the
career you hope to have in the future;
that are required to make you a better professional;
that are necessary for you to grow and develop,
solve current problems, etc.
Model or Framework of Practice
The final stage is therefore pulling it all together,
connecting and interweaving the themes of your
personal and professional life – are they congruent,
do they fit, are you what you have always been
(notwithstanding life and experiences and gaining
more knowledge), what are the threads that form the
rich fabric of your life?
This is the ‘summing up’ of who you are, why you
are, what is important (values/beliefs), what areas of
work you want to work in (context), and why, and
what informs your practice. By this stage – sense of
self emerging strongly ……
Graduates’ words I’ve discovered through the reflective process that
while I understand human resource processes very
well, my knowledge goes much further. I’m an
advocate, a manager, a business person, a
communicator and most significantly an educator. By
combining all of these skill sets I’m able to be
effective as a leader. I also know that I could learn
and develop more in all those areas. Two of those
areas are of significant interest for me in my own
career development, they are areas I’d like to strive
towards mastery in. As I progressed through the APL
process I discovered that I could write, reflect and
research in a critical way.
Graduates’ words In assessment 1, I explored my values and my view of
the world. I identified threads that have been entwined
throughout my working life, my experiences and my
drivers. It was only through writing that essay that I
discovered that coaching and educating were so
important in what I do. My desire to change things, to
step up and to influence was uncovered. My desire for
a fair society that respects both the planet and those
within it was teased out. Assessment 2 explored my
skills. With my prior learning assessment earlier this
year I have extended the range of what I thought I
could do. I am now peering over the opportunity and
learning horizon.
Graduates’ words
What did I learn? I learned that I knew a lot more
than I thought I did, which has helped me understand
my own employability – helped me to be able to
clearly articulate who I am and what I can do and why.
I learned that once you have experienced work it is
not hard to then engage with theory – what is hard is
to engage with theory when you don’t have a base to
practice on (how silly is that) – being able to reflect on
and understand my practice, then apply it to theories
was a transformational process … now that is
learning.
Graduates’ words
I was amazed to realise that my work incorporated many
areas of specialised work – social services, career
practice, management and leadership – I am not just a
career practitioner, I am many things. Therefore my
model of practice is more than having an understanding
of career practice, it is demonstrating my knowledge and
skill in management, my beliefs about leadership and my
understanding of the social services environment. I can
be defined by having a multi-faceted interconnected and
integrated approach to a range of contexts. My
professional practice is ……
Graduates’ words
I wanted to say thank you for all your help and
support to get me through the Career Practice
qualification. I found your approach very aligned
to my own way of learning style which made the
whole exercise very easy, but more importantly
enjoyable and enlightening.
I was quite scornful of my past teachers in my
BIO, but you are a really good ‘teacher’ because
you bring out the best in people, you show them
how to re-learn, re-engage, re-invent yourself.
Transformational process
We find this process transformational for people,
invariably bringing a new view of the self……,
Discovering one’s gifts, talents and sense of self
offers an incredible source of strength to walk the
career journey (Aboriginal Human Resources
Council , 2007)
At the end of the learning journey
Our learners often say they now feel they have a
professional identity which has increased their self
confidence and self efficacy and this has integrated
into their working roles and lives….
Research
Glenys – Doctorate in Professional Studies
(Adult Learning), Middlesex University UK
Heather – looking at ways to explore this topic
further, interested in the ‘marriage’ of career
development, learning and professional identity
growth
References
Cochran, L. R. (1990). Narrative as a paradigm for career research. In R. A. Young, & W.A.
Borgen (Eds.), Methodological approaches to the study of career (pp. 71-86). New York:
Praeger Publishers.
Giddens, A. (1991) Modernity and Self Identity. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Hall, D.T. (2002) Careers in and Out of organisations. California: Sage Publications
Kram, K., Wasserman, I.C., &Yip, J. (2012) Metaphors of Identity and Professional Practice:
Learning from the Scholar-Practitioner. Journal of Applied Behavioural Science 48 (3),304-
341
Trede, F.(2012).Role of work-integrated learning in developing professionalism and
professional identity. Asia-Pacific Journal of Co-operative Education, 2012,13,159-167
Young, R. & Collin, A. (2000). Introduction: framing the future of career. In A. Collin, & R.
Young (Eds.), The future of career (pp. 1-17). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.