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The Pepperdine Research Team

Bridges and Barriers in the Development of Faith, Identity, Vocation, and Life Purpose in College Students Katie Byron, Whitney Guthrie, Cindy Miller-Perrin, and Don Thompson Pepperdine University ACSD Annual Conference June 8, 2006. The Pepperdine Research Team. Katie Byron

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The Pepperdine Research Team

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  1. Bridges and Barriers in the Development of Faith, Identity, Vocation, and Life Purpose in College StudentsKatie Byron, Whitney Guthrie, Cindy Miller-Perrin, and Don ThompsonPepperdine UniversityACSD Annual ConferenceJune 8, 2006

  2. The Pepperdine Research Team • Katie Byron • 2006 Psychology Graduate • Whitney Guthrie • 2006 Psychology Graduate • Dr. Cindy Miller-Perrin • Professor of Psychology • Dr. Don Thompson • Associate Vice President

  3. Presentation Overview Development of faith, identity, and vocation across the undergraduate years College seniors: Bridges and barriers to life purpose Opportunities for influence and impact in the college environment

  4. Lilly Endowment Sponsored Research at Pepperdine2002-2006 Summary Student Development Faith, Vocation, Identity Surveys & Interviews Autobiographical Writings Vocation Discussion Groups Faculty Development Vocation Survey Vocation Workshops Autobiographical Writings Vocation Discussion Groups Mission Fulfillment Life Purpose, Service, Leadership

  5. Development of Faith, Identity, and Vocation Across the Undergraduate Years • College years are “critical years” in development • College years marked by change in individual self and religious self

  6. Vocational Development • College students consider issues associated with personal identity, faith beliefs, and career options • Higher education should help students discover and pursue their vocational callings • Little empirical work examines the nature and development of vocational calling

  7. Research Hypotheses • Vocation is “the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet” • Vocational development is the intersection of faith development and identity development • Faith, identity, and vocational development are not uniform across the college years

  8. Method • Participants (and Response Rates) from initial sample of 300 • Baseline – 113 (38%) • First-Year – 191 (68%) • Sophomore – 111 (64%) • Junior – 132 (83%) • Senior – 114 (70%) • Overall Demographics • 61% female; 39% male • Age range 18-22 years (X= 20.64) • 70% White; 7% Latino; 5% Asian; 3% Black; 15% Other

  9. Measures • Faith Attitudes and Behaviors • Vocational Discernment and Action • Barriers to Life Purpose

  10. Faith Attitudes and Behaviors

  11. Vocational Discernment and Action

  12. Vocational Barriers

  13. Results • Faith Development • Identity Development • Vocation Discernment and Action • Development of Life Purpose Barriers

  14. Strength of Belief, Faith Behavior, and Application of Faith • Strength of Belief varied significantly over time • Faith Behavior varied significantly over time • Application of Faith did not vary significantly over time

  15. I believe in God.

  16. My faith/religion is NOT very important to me.

  17. I continually look for ways to strengthen my faith.

  18. Identity Development - Achievement • Achieved Identity status varied significantly over time

  19. Identity Development – Moratorium • Moratorium Identity status varied over time, marginally

  20. Identity Development - Foreclosure • Foreclosure Identity status varied significantly over time

  21. Identity Development - Diffused • Diffused Identity status did not vary significantly over time

  22. Vocational Discernment and Action • Vocational Discernment did not vary significantly over time • Vocational Action, as service, did not vary significantly over time

  23. I have a good sense of God’s purpose for my life.

  24. I am unsure about what God is specifically calling me to do.

  25. I am motivated to choose a career that will provide/fulfill…

  26. Barriers to Life Purpose • Total Personal Barriers scores varied over time, marginally

  27. Emotional problems prevent me from fulfilling my life purpose

  28. Selfishness prevents me from fulfilling my life purpose

  29. Need for personal control prevents me from fulfilling my life purpose

  30. Barriers to Life Purpose • Total Interpersonal Barriers scores did not vary significantly over time

  31. Barriers to Life Purpose • Total Social and Cultural Barriers scores did not vary significantly over time

  32. Conclusions • College students experience significant developmental variation over time • Strength of faith belief • Faith behavior • Identity development • Foreclosure, Moratorium, Achievement • Personal Barriers

  33. Bridges and Barriers in the Development of Faith, Identity, and Life Purpose in College Seniors

  34. Emergence of Positive Psychology • Traditionally, the field of psychology has focused on individuals’ maladaptive traits and pathologies • Positive Psychology explores individual health and well-being

  35. Life Purpose • Life purpose is a popular area of research within Positive Psychology • Life purpose is linked to well-being • Life purpose is a core element in many university mission statements

  36. What Contributes to Life Purpose? • Faith • Religion is one context in which we encounter commitment to an ultimate concern or purpose • Identity • Our ongoing life narratives allow us to understand who we are and where we belong – i.e. our life purpose

  37. Faith and Life Purpose Bridges • Religious conversion • Life purpose evolves following conversion: euphoria, doubt, renewed strength and stability • Core experiences • Experiences of feeling close with God, including the perception that God dwells within, engender a sense of life purpose • Spiritual strivings • Sacred goals that aim for meaningful life objectives, pertaining to a person’s imago dei, contribute to life purpose • Mysticism • Strong emotional religious experience accompanies a strong sense of life purpose • God Control • The degree to which individuals perceive God as being in control of their life can impact life direction or purpose

  38. Identity and Life Purpose Bridges • Developing a sense of identity out of life stories and experiences leads to life meaning and purpose • Identity confusion – caused by lack of goals, based on lack of direction – negatively impacts life purpose • Development of life purpose helps to resolve identity crises

  39. Life Purpose Barriers • To date, no studies have addressed factors that inhibit one’s understanding of life purpose • For those who experience discrimination, minority status is negatively related to personal growth • There are many other potential barriers to life purpose such as anxiety, financial circumstances, personality, etc.

  40. Hypotheses – Bridges & Barriers to Life Purpose • Faith development and identity achievement positively predict life purpose • Specific barriers examined in the current study negatively predict life purpose • Personality or personal emotions • Views and opinions of others • Social pressures or personal circumstances

  41. Participants • 89 undergraduates (mean age = 21.53) • 60% female, 40% male • 67% White, 6% Asian, 6% Latino, 10% Multiracial/Other • 64% Protestant, 14% Catholic, 2% Jewish, 1% Hindu, 18% Other/None • All participants were seniors at a Christian university • Students were selected from the 2002 entering class to participate in a longitudinal survey on faith, identity, and vocation. This study included 89 of these participants who responded to two separate surveys given during their senior year

  42. Measures & Scales • General Life Purpose Scale • Life Purpose Barriers Scale • Identity Scale • Ego-Identity Status • Faith Scales • Faith Maturity • Spiritual Transcendence

  43. General Life Purpose Scale • Designed to measure overall sense of life purpose • Sample items • I have a good sense of purpose in life • I have no sense of direction in life • My life is valuable and worthwhile • I am making a contribution to society

  44. General Life Purpose Responses

  45. Life Purpose Barriers Scale • Measures factors that can prevent individuals from fulfilling their life purpose • Yields scores on three subscales: • Personality or personal emotions • Lack of motivation, fear, being uncertain of what God wants • Views and opinions of others • Parents, boyfriend or girlfriend, teachers • Social pressures or personal circumstances • Financial debt, feeling limited by gender stereotypes

  46. Life Purpose Barriers Responses

  47. Life Purpose Barriers Responses

  48. Ego-Identity Status Survey • Classifies subjects into one of four identity groups: • Achievement: exploration and commitment • “It took me a while to figure it out, but now I really know what I want for a career.” • Moratorium: exploration without commitment • “Religion is confusing to me right now. I keep changing my views on what is right and wrong for me.” • Foreclosure: no exploration, but commitment • “My parents decided a long time ago what I should go into for employment and I’m following through with their plans.” • Diffusion: no exploration or commitment • “I haven’t really considered politics. It just doesn’t excite me much.”

  49. Ego-Identity Status Responses

  50. Faith Maturity Scale • Measures values and behavioral manifestations of faith • Sample items • My life is filled with meaning and purpose • I have a real sense that God is guiding me • My faith shapes how I think and act each and every day • I devote time to reading and studying the Bible

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