A Personal Take on Chickering's 7 Vectors

I recently interviewed my fiance Evan about his personal development throughout his college experience and the first several years of his professional career. I used Chickering's Seven Vectors to guide my questions, but purposely left them open-ended in order to allow him full freedom to discuss his experiences.

What you will see in the postings below is how Evan's experiences as a college student and young adult illustrate and bring to life Chickering's Vectors.

Through Evan's responses, it became apparent to me that Chickering's vectors, taken as general guidelines, are just as relevant now as they were when he first published them back in 1969. Evan had no prior knowledge of the vectors or the theory behind them, but the fact that his answers came so easily and naturally speaks to the universal presence of Chickering's vectors in all of our lives. Furthermore, this interview is proof that we are never done moving through the vectors. There is always room for growth and development in every phase of life.

Developing Integrity

"developing integrity involves reviewing personal values in an inquiring environment that emphasizes diversity, critical thinking, the use of evidence, and experimentation" (Chickering & Reisser, 1993, p. 235).

Developing Purpose

"Developing purpose entails an increasing ability to be intentional, to assess interests and options, to clarify goals, to make plans, and to persist despite obstacles" (Chickering & Reisser, 1993, p. 50).

Establishing Identity

When an individual establishes his or her own identity, "a solid sense of self emerges, and it becomes more apparent that there is an I who coordinates the facets of personality, who "owns" the house of self and is comfortable in all of its rooms" (Chickering & Reisser, 1993, p. 49).

Moving Through Autonomy Toward Interdependence and Developing Mature Interpersonal Relationships

"A key developmental step for students is learning to function with relative self-sufficiency, to take responsibility for pursuing self-chosen goals, and to be less bound by others' opinions. Movement requires both emotional and instrumental independence, and later recognition and acceptance of interdependence" (Chickering & Reisser, 1993, p. 47).

"growth involves learning not to be so immersed in our own behavior or so intent on the impression we are making that we disregard the people around us...developing mature relationships means not only freeing ourselves from narcissism, but also learning to choose healthy relationships and making lasting commitments based on honesty, sensitivity, and unconditional regard" (Chickering & Reisser, 1993, pp. 146-147).

Managing Emotions

"For some students, the challenge is to become aware of the different flavors of feelings and to understand their legitimacy. Some come with the faucets of impulse expression wide open, and their task is to develop flexible controls. Others have yet to open the tap. Their challenge is to loosen repressions from earlier years and to let off pressure stored in the system" (Chickering & Reisser, 1993, p.90).

Developing Competence

"Increasing competence leads to increasing readiness to take risks, to try new things, and to take one's place among peers as someone not perfect, but respectable as a work in progress" (Chickering & Reisser, 1993, p. 82).

There are three types of competence that develop in college:

1. intellectual
2. physical/manual
3. interpersonal

The 7 vectors

In the second edition of his book, Education and Identity (1993), Chickering revisits his Seven Vectors of Student Development with the help if Linda Reisser. They set up their theoretical framework with the following statement about how educators and student affairs professionals can use student development theory:

"We cannot easily discern what subtle mix of people, books, settings, or events promotes growth. Nor can we easily name changes in ways of thinking, feeling, or interpreting the world. But we can observe behavior and record words, both of which can reveal shifts from hunch to analysis, from simple to complex perceptions, from divisive bias to compassionate understanding. Theory can give us the lenses to see these changes and help them along" (1993, p. 43).

The Seven Vectors (1993): "We propose the seven vectors as maps to help us determine where students are and which way they are heading" (Chickering & Reisser, 1993, p. 34).

1. Developing Competence
   
2. Managing Emotions
   
3. Moving Through Autonomy Towards Interdependence
   
4. Developing Mature Interpersonal Relationships
   
5. Establishing Identity
   
6. Developing Purpose
   
7. Developing Integrity
   

Arthur W. Chickering: A Brief Biography

Before I delve into the 7 Vectors of Student Development, let's find out a little more about Arthur Chickering: the man, the professor, the theorist...

Education:

• B.A. Modern Comparative Literature - Wesleyan University (1950)
  
• M.A. degree English Education - Graduate School of Education, Harvard University (1951)
• Ph.D. degree School Psychology - Teachers College, Columbia University (1959)

(Retrieved from Arthur W. Chickering on April 9, 2010)

Career Highlights:

• 1959-1965: Coordinator of Assessment at Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont
  
• 1965-1969: Director of the Project on Student Development in Small Colleges
• 1977-1988: Director for the Center for the Study of Higher Education at Memphis State University
  
• Current: Special Assistant to the President, Goddard College
  

(Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton & Renn, 2009; retrieved from Arthur W. Chickering on April 9, 2010)

The Evolution of the Seven Vectors

While working as Coordinator of Assessment at Goddard College, Chickering was "responsible for evaluating the impact of innovative curricular practices on student development" (Evans et al, 2009, p. 65). His research led to the conceptualization of the Seven Vectors of Development. His research and findings are detailed in the 1969 book Education and Identity. His theory was originally meant to inform university faculty of ways in which they could better organize educational programs and "systemactically enhance student development," but over the years it has become a staple theory for student affairs practitioners (Evans et al., 2009, p.66).

Chickering's original theory was born out of a time in higher education that is very different from today. In 1969, the majority of students attending institutions of higher education were both white and male. For this reason, "several writers have questioned the applicability of Chickering's theory for students who are not from white, middle-class backgrounds" (Evans et al., 2009, p.74). Similar concerns exist for how well his theory can be applied to women (Evans et al., 2009).

In 1993, Chickering teamed up with Linda Reisser in order to revisit his theory, make it consistent with new research, and applicable to a more diverse range of students (Chickering & Reisser, 1993; Evans et al., 2006). Overall, authors disagree on whether or not these updates have made the seven vectors relevant to a wider range of students.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog - a virtual tour of Arthur Chickering's 7 Vectors!

Here you will find all kinds of great information about Chickering, his 7 Vectors of Student Development, and how his theory can be applied to today's college students and young adults.

In this blog you will also find several snippets of a video interview that I conducted with my fiance, Evan. In this interview, Evan reflects on how he has seen himself grow and develop in relation to Chickering's vectors.

Your knowledge and feedback is most appreciated, so please feel free to leave comments and critiques.

Enjoy!
Daniella