Self-Authorship

Self-Authorship

1. Definition: the internal capacity to define one belief's, identity, and social relations (p. 183)

2. Identified developmental tasks people in their 20s and 30s

3. 3 major questions take precedence:

   • 1. How do I know?
     • The evaluation of assumptions about nature, limits, and certainty of knowledge
   • 2. Who am I?
     • Sense of "who am I" and "what I believe"
   • 3. How do I want to construct relationships with others?
     • Perceptions and construction of relationships

4. Path to Self-Authorship:

   • Phase 1: Following Formulas
     • Follow plans designed by others - to meet expectations from external authorities (parents, significant others, teachers, mentors)
   • Phase 2: Crossroads
     • Discovery or realization the need to establish new plans that better suit their needs and interests
     • Seek to become more autonomous
     • Develop more authentic relationships
     • "A clearer sense of direction and more self-confidence marked the end of the crossroads" (Evans, et. al, 2010)
   • Phase 3: Becoming the Author of One's Life
     • Establishes own beliefs - defends these beliefs against conflicting external perspectives and attempts to follow/live established beliefs
     • Involves a lot of self-reflection
     • Recognition that beliefs are contextual - more careful in making relationship commitments
   • Phase 4: Internal Foundation
     • Successfully negotiate this stage are grounded in a self-determined belief system
     • A "solidified and comprehensive system of belief" (Baxter Magolda, 1998b, 2001) is established
     • Life decisions based on this foundation
     • Responsibility to others based on the belief system
     • Accepting of ambiguity and change
     • Spirituality can play an important role
     • New pathways are sought and attained

5. Key Elements of Self-Authorship

   • Trusting the internal voice
     • Control over to think about and respond to events
   • Building an internal foundation
     • A personal philosophy or framework for actions
   • Securing internal commitments
     • Living authentically, integrating internal and external worlds

6. Application

   • Students and educators should work together to develop student self-authorship
   • Validating learners' capacity to know
   • Assist students in becoming clearer about what they know, why they hold the beliefs they do, and how they want to act on their beliefs (Baxter Magolda, 1999a, 2008)
   • Recognize and acknowledge that students bring their personal experiences into classroom
   • Situating learning in learners
   • Mutually constructing meaning
   • Ensure students know their input is important
   • Encourage active sharing of ideas and viewpoints