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CAn you do my homework? Reconceptualizing the Model of Multiple Dimensions of Identity: The Role of Meaning-Making Capacity in the Construction of Multiple Identities Elisa S. Abes, Susan R. Jones, Marylu K. McEwen Journal of College Student Development, Volume 48, Number 1, January/February 2007, pp. 1-22 (Article) Published by Johns Hopkins University Press DOI: For additional information about this article [ This content has been declared free to read by the pubisher during the COVID-19 pandemic. ] https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2007.0000 https://muse.jhu.edu/article/210889 https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2007.0000 https://muse.jhu.edu/article/210889 January/February 2007 ◆ vol 48 no 1 � Reconceptualizing the Model of Multiple Dimensions of Identity: The Role of Meaning-Making Capacity in the Construction of Multiple Identities Elisa S. Abes Susan R. Jones Marylu K. McEwen We reconceptualize Jones and McEwen’s (2000) model of multiple dimensions of identity by incorporating meaning making, based on the results of Abes and Jones’s (2004) study of lesbian college students. Narratives of three students who utilize different orders of Kegan’s (1994) meaning making (formulaic, transitional, and founda­ tional, as described by Baxter Magolda, 2001) illustrate how meaning­making capacity interacts with the influences of context on the perceptions and salience of students’ multiple social identities. Implications for theory, research, and professional practice are discussed. Recent scholarship in the area of college student identity development has begun to address the complexities of the relationships among three primary domains of development: interpersonal, intrapersonal, and cognitive (e.g., Baxter Magolda, 200�; King & Baxter Magolda, 2005; Torres & Baxter Magolda, 2004). Within the intrapersonal domain, the model of multiple dimensions of identity (Jones & McEwen, 2000) provided one of the first conceptualizations of relationships among social identities (e.g., race, gender, social class, sexual orientation), as well as between personal identity and social identities. Although acknowledged as a contribution to a more complex understanding of identity (e.g., Chavez, Guido-DiBrito, & Mallory, 2003; Davis, 2002; Stevens, 2004), the model does not incorporate other domains such as cognitive development. Abes and Jones (2004), however, in a study of lesbian identity development and meaning making, applied the model of multiple dimensions of identity in conjunction with constructivist–developmental theory. The purpose of this article is to propose, based on Abes and Jones’s study, a more complex conceptualization of the model of multiple dimensions of identity that integrates inter- secting domains of development. Because the focus of our work is on developing a more complex conceptualization of the multiple identities model, we position this study within contemporary theorizations of multiple and intersecting identities. To do so, we provide an overview of identity as social construction, feminist and postmodern conceptualizations of intersectionality, and the model of multiple dimensions of identity. We then explore Kegan’s (�994) theory of lifespan development and Baxter Magolda’s (200�) research on young adult development toward self-authorship, which is incorporated into our reconceptualization of the multiple identities model. SociAl conStRuction of idEntity Weber (�998) identified social constructionism as a common theme within scholarship exploring relationships among race, class, gender, and sexuality. A social constructionist Elisa S. Abes is an Assistant Professor, College Student Personnel, Department of Educational Leadership, at Miami University (Ohio); Susan R. Jones and Marylu K. McEwen are both Associate Professors, College Student Personnel Program, Department of Counseling and Personnel Services at the University of Maryland, College Park 2 Journal of College Student Development Abes, Jones, & McEwen perspective on identity challenges the essen- tialist position that reifies dominant–sub- ordinate binaries presumed to be grounded in biology (e.g., White–non-White, men–women, heterosexual—homosexual; Weber). Instead, social constructionism considers identity to be socially, historically, politically, and culturally constructed at both the institutional and individual levels (Omi & Winant, �994; Weber). The meaning of social identities cannot be fully captured as they change with evolving contexts and relationships (Omi & Winant). Although essentialism provided the basis for much of the earlier research and resulting theoretical perspectives on student development, contemporary student affairs researchers are increasingly relying on social constructionism as they explore the meanings of identity (McEwen, 2003). concEptuAlizAtionS of intERSEctionAlity feminist conceptualizations Much of the theorizing on multiple identities developed in women’s studies literature, often through personal narratives (Weber, �998). A significant body of this literature grew out of Black feminist scholarship that challenged feminism’s Eurocentric assumptions (e.g., hooks, �984; Smith, �982). This feminist literature introduced a “framework of inter- sectionality” that recognized how socially constructed identities are experienced simul- taneously, not hierarchically (McCann & Kim, 2002, p. �50). Collins (�990) termed this framework a “matrix of domination” and explained that viewing relationships from an intersecting perspective “expands the focus of analysis from merely describing the similarities and differences distinguishing these systems of oppression and focuses greater attention on how they interconnect” (p. 222). Autobiographical narratives from two feminist scholars, Lorde (�984) and Anzaldua (�999), illustrated a wholeness associated with integrating multiple identity dimensions within a matrix of domination. Lorde, a “Black lesbian feminist socialist mother of two . . . and a member of an interracial couple” (p. ��4), explained that her “fullest concen- tration of energy is available . . . only when I integrate all the parts of who I am . . . without the restrictions of externally imposed definition” (pp. �20-�2�). Discussing her experiences as a Mexican American lesbian, a mestiza, Anzaldua offered her theor y of mestiza consciousness, or her ability to bring together multiple identities into a new, integrated identity where “the self has added a third element which is greater than the sum of its severed parts. That element is a new consciousness” (pp. �0�-�02). Despite its complex explorations of boundary-crossing identities, a conundrum exists within this feminist literature. By studying how aspects of identity, such as race and social class, create differences within women’s experiences, an unintended presump- tion of unity arises within the categories introduced to demonstrate differences (McCann & Kim, 2002). Just as feminists have urged that there is not a singular meaning associated with the experiences of women, so too there is not a singular meaning associated with the experiences of women by nature of the socially constructed categories of race, social class, or sexual orientation. To fully embrace individual experiences, it is necessary to explore differences within each aspect of identity as each is influenced by the simul- taneous experience of the other dimensions (McCann & Kim). postmodern conceptualizations The impossibility, due to difference, of capturing all experiences associated with identity categories is at the heart of a post- January/February 2007 ◆ vol 48 no 1 3 Reconceptualizing Model modern theorization of multiple identities. Postmodernism abandons “grand narratives” because they ignore the influence of social, political, and cultural power in people’s lives (Tierney & Rhoads, �993, p. 3�5). In their place, postmodernists stress “differences between and within groups—race, class, gender, and sexual orientation, for example” (Tierney & Rhoads, p. 3�5). Informed by the writing of French philosopher Jacques Derrida, a postmodern conceptualization of difference suggests that this construct cannot be easily “dismantled” into “oppositional predicates” and is “neither this not that; but rather this and that” (Kearney, �984, p. ��0). Grounded in these principles, a postmodern critique of identity challenges the stability of identity categories. Of particular relevance to our reconceptu- alization of the model of multiple identities is the postmodern perspective of queer theory, which suspends the classifications of lesbian, gay, bisexual, masculine, and feminine (Tierney & Dilley, �998). Principles of queer theory disrupt traditional identity categories based on the suppositions that identity is performed and therefore unstable (Butler, �99�) and comprised of fluid differences rather than a unified essence (Fuss, �989). Fuss explained that the failure to study identity as difference implies a unity in identity that overlooks variations within identity, such as race and class. Categories are insufficient because differences within those categories cause them to have “multiple and contradictory meanings” (Fuss, p. 98). ModEl of MultiplE diMEnSionS of idEntity Much of the recent literature on multiple identities in student affairs scholarship references Jones and McEwen’s (2000) model of multiple dimensions of identity (e.g., Chavez et al., 2003; Davis, 2002; Love, Bock, Jannarone, & Richardson 2005; Miville, Darlington, Whitlock, & Mulligan, 2005). The model (Figure �) offers a conceptual depiction of relationships among college students’ socially constructed identity dimen- sions, recognizing that each dimension cannot be fully understood in isolation. Building on the work of Reynolds and Pope (�99�) and Deaux (�993) and based on the results of grounded theory research with women college students (Jones, �997), the model of multiple dimensions of identity describes the dynamic construction of identity and the influence of changing contexts on the relative salience of multiple identity dimensions, such as race, sexual orientation, culture, and social class. The model portrays identity dimensions as intersecting rings around a core, signifying how “no one dimension may be understood singularly; it can be understood only in rela- tion to other dimensions” (Jones & McEwen, p. 4�0). At the center of the model is a core sense of self, comprising “valued personal attributes and characteristics” (Jones, p. 383). Surrounding the core and identity dimensions is the context in which a person experiences her life, such as family, sociocultural conditions, and current experiences. The salience of each identity dimension to the core is fluid and depends on contextual influences (Jones & McEwen). conStRuctiviSt–dEvElopMEntAl thEoRy And MultiplE idEntitiES Constructivist–developmental theory considers intrapersonal, cognitive, and interpersonal domains of development as part of a single, integrated mental activity and describes the interrelated development of each domain from simple to complex (Kegan, �994). Kegan’s integrated theory consists of five “orders of 4 Journal of College Student Development Abes, Jones, & McEwen consciousness,” representing increasingly complex “meaning-making structures,” which are sets of assumptions that determine how an individual perceives and organizes one’s life experiences (Kegan). In her extensive longitudinal research, Baxter Magolda (200�) explored Kegan’s (�994) work in the context of college students and young adults. Baxter Magolda (200�) suggested that Kegan’s third order of conscious- ness is the most prevalent meaning-making structure among traditional-aged college students. The third order is characterized by making meaning through concrete relation- ships to which one’s own interests are subordinated (Kegan). Relationships define identity, and no process exists for negotiating conflicting relationships. Baxter Magolda (�999a) described this as “formulaic” meaning making. Fewer college students make meaning at the fourth order, or “foundational” meaning making (Baxter Magolda, �999a), which is characterized by self-authorship. Requiring complexity in all three domains (interpersonal, Figure 1. Model of Multiple Dimensions of Identity (Jones & McEwen, 2000). culture Sexual orientation Race Social class Religion gender coRE contEXt family background Sociocultural conditions current Experiences career decisions and life planning coRE personal Attributes personal characteristics personal identity figuRE 1. Model of Multiple dimensions of identity (Jones & McEwen, 2000) January/February 2007 ◆ vol 48 no 1 5 Reconceptualizing Model intrapersonal, and cognitive), self-authorship occurs through “an ability to construct knowledge in a contextual world, an ability to construct an internal identity separate from external influences, and an ability to engage in relationships without losing one’s internal identity” (Baxter Magolda, �999b, p. �2). Students making a transition between formu- laic and foundational meaning making are at a “crossroads” (Baxter Magolda, �999b, p. 38). During this transitional period dominated by tensions and unresolved conflicts between their developing internal voices and external influences, students gradually question formu- las increasingly incongruent with developing internal values. Little research has been conducted explor- ing self-authorship in the context of how students make meaning of their socially constructed identities, such as race and sexuality. No published research has explored a relationship between self-authorship and intersectionality of social identities. Torres and Baxter Magolda (2004) offered evidence of the role of cognitive complexity in the development of ethnic identity among Latino/a students. Results of their longitudinal study indicated that increased cognitive complexity related to less reliance on stereotypes, authorities, and the approval of others to shape their ethnic identity. King and Baxter Magolda (2005) developed a conceptual framework for inter- cultural maturity grounded in the integration of cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal development. The intrapersonal dimension of their framework presents a relationship be- tween Kegan’s (�994) orders of consciousness and theories of social identity development. In the only study to consider the relationship between college students’ meaning-making capacity and perceptions of relationships among their multiple social identity dimen- sions, Abes and Jones (2004) simultaneously considered Kegan’s constructivist–develop- mental theory and the model of multiple dimensions of identity (Jones & McEwen, 2000). The purpose of this article is to analyze the results of Abes and Jones’s study in the context of the model of multiple dimensions of identity and offer, based on this analysis, a reconceptualized model that more aptly captures the complexity of intersecting domains of development. ovERviEw of AbES And JonES’S (2004) Study The purpose of Abes and Jones’s (2004) study was to explore how lesbian college students perceived their sexual orientation identity and its interaction with other dimensions of identity, such as race, religion, social class, and gender. The design and rationale of the study are detailed in Abes and Jones; we provide an overview here. Abes and Jones’s (2004) study was grounded in a constructivist theoretical framework, which assumes that knowledge is mutually constructed between the researchers and participants (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000). To understand how the participants made meaning of their identities, this study utilized narrative inquiry methodology. The purpose of narrative inquiry is to understand the wholeness of human experience through data collected in the form of stories (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000; Lieblich, Tuval-Mashiach, & Zilber, �998). This methodological approach is well suited to identity studies because stories offer revealing glimpses into inner selves (Lieblich et al.; Riessman, 2002). Stories not only reveal, but also shape identity because identity stories are “told, revised, and retold throughout life. We know or discover ourselves, and reveal ourselves to others, by the stories we tell” (Lieblich et al., p. 7). Purposeful sampling was used to obtain information-rich cases (Patton, �990). All �0 � Journal of College Student Development Abes, Jones, & McEwen participants, ages �8–23, attended a large, public research university in the Midwest. Five were students of color (one Black, one Latina, one Puerto Rican-Caucasian, one Trinidadian- Caucasian, and one African American-Cau- casian); five were Caucasian. There were two Jewish women, one Agnostic, one Pagan, one Agnostic Pagan, one Christian, one Catholic, and three who did not identify with a religion. Eight identified as female, two as androgynous. Six women identified as middle class, one temporarily poor, one working class, and two upper-middle class. Data were collected through three open- ended interviews with each participant. During the latter part of the second interview, each participant was asked to map her identity onto the model of multiple dimensions of identity (Jones & McEwen, 2000). For data analysis, Abes and Jones (2004) used primarily a categorical content approach, which utilizes constant comparative analysis (Lieblich et al., �998). Results of the analysis were used to construct much of the participants’ narratives. Abes and Jones also considered the structure of the participants’ stories, including “the gaps, the silences, the tensions” (Ritchie & Wilson, 2000, p. 2�). Results of Abes and Jones’s (2004) study suggested that meaning-making capacity served as a filter through which contextual factors are interpreted prior to influencing self-perceptions of sexual orientation identity and its relationship with other identity dimensions. How context influenced these perceptions depended on the complexity of the meaning-making filter. Participants with complex meaning-making capacity were able, more so than those with less developed capacity, to filter contextual influences, such as family background, peer culture, social norms, and stereotypes, and determine how context influenced their identity. Complex meaning making also facilitated the ease with which sexual orientation was integrated or peacefully co-existed with other dimensions and the extent to which participants’ per- ceptions of their identity dimensions were consistent with the sense of self they hoped to achieve. incoRpoRAting MEAning- MAKing cApAcity into thE ModEl of MultiplE diMEnSionS of idEntity Revisiting the model of multiple dimensions of identity through the results of Abes and Jones’s (2004) study suggests that incorporat- ing meaning-making capacity into the model would more thoroughly depict the relationship between context and salience (and self per- ceptions) of identity dimensions, as well as the relationship between social identities and the core of identity. The reconceptualized model (Figure 2), unlike the original model, portrays in two dimensions the interactive nature of the relationships among components of the identity construction process: context, meaning making, and identity perceptions. Contextual influences are drawn in Figure 2 as arrows external to identity. The social identity dimensions are represented similarly to the Jones and McEwen (2000) model. Meaning- making capacity is drawn as a filter. How contextual influences move through the filter depends on the depth and permeability of the filter. The depth (thickness) and permeability (size of openings) of the filter depend on the complexity of the person’s meaning-making capacity. To illustrate complex meaning making, the filter would be drawn with increased depth and smaller grid openings; less complex meaning-making capacity would be illustrated through a narrower filter with wider grid openings. Regardless of differences in meaning making, context influences identity perceptions; differences in the depth of the January/February 2007 ◆ vol 48 no 1 7 Reconceptualizing Model filter and size of the grid openings incorporate contextual influences in qualitatively different ways. Through narratives of three research participants, we offer possibilities of how their identity perceptions might be illustrated through the model with meaning-making capacity integrated into it. The three partici- pants, Amy, Carmen, and Jacky, provide examples of formulaic, transitional, and foundational meaning making. The selections from the narratives describe these participants’ perceptions of relationships among their multiple identity dimensions. These selections represent only small parts of a much more in- depth analysis of these three women’s detailed narratives, which allowed us to assess meaning- making capacity (Abes, 2003). formulaic Meaning Making and Multiple dimensions of identity Because minimal filtering occurs in formulaic meaning making, contextual influences and perceptions of identity are closely connected. Participants infrequently saw relationships between or among their multiple identities. For instance, they perceived their sexual orientation as separate from their ethnicity if that was what they learned from their family; they perceived their sexual orientation as incompatible with their religion if this is how religious leaders taught them to interpret the major teachings of their religion; and they perceived their gender as either too masculine Figure 2. Reconceptualized Model of Multiple Dimensions of Identity. Contextual Influences, such as peers, family, norms, stereotypes, sociopolitical conditions Meaning-Making Filter depending on complexity, contextual influences pass through to different degrees Self-Perceptions of Multiple Identity Dimensions, such as race, social class, sexual orientation, gender, religion figuRE 2. Reconceptualized Model of Multiple dimensions of identity 8 Journal of College Student Development Abes, Jones, & McEwen or too feminine if that is what friends and stereotypes told them. Amy’s Story. Amy, a 23-year-old senior, who prides herself on her unwavering opinions and “flaunts her individuality,” exemplifies formu- laic meaning-making capacity. Amy, who explained that there are two types of lesbians, “coffee shop lesbians and bar lesbians,” and never the two shall mix, appeared to un- knowingly define her identity in direct opposition to stereotypes, which laced her stories. A self-described bar lesbian, Amy refused to be like the people who attend gay and lesbian student organizations, whom she described as “the same kind of people that are like save the world. . . . I refuse to be anywhere near that.” Amy’s story demonstrates that formulaic meaning making might result in an identity that is constructed in direct and seem- ingly unanalyzed opposition to stereotypes. Even though Amy did not construct her identity in a manner consistent with stereo- types, stereotypes still dictated how she perceived her identity. Amy defined herself through who she is not, rather than through who she is. Believing she was rejecting stereotypes, Amy announced she “flaunted her originality,” which meant rejecting most environmental influences. She explained: I don’t put myself into one group of people. I consider myself one of a kind and that’s it. I’m me. I’m my own class, group, genre, everything, like that’s how I look at things. . . . I don’t seek to relate to other people. I don’t because I’m me, I’m myself. One implication of her desire to be unique was that she denied the possibility that aspects of her identity, such as sexual orientation, race, and social class, affected who she was as a person. As a result, she saw few relationships among her identity dimensions. Because connections with other people were not a primary concern, Amy did not allow her family’s expectations to influence how she thought about being gay. For instance, Amy, who was Trinidadian-Caucasian, felt that some of her Trinidadian family members disap- proved of her sexual orientation because it did not meet their cultural expectations. She rejected their opinions, not because of internal meaning making, but because she rejected other people’s opinions in general, explaining, “I’m not that close to other people . . . and I don’t really care. I was like, whatever, it’s who I am.” However, not seeming to realize the influence of stereotypes on her thinking, Amy described a relationship between her social class and sexual orientation. Explaining her generally unwavering opinion about the social class of lesbians, she observed: I think lesbians are poor in general. . . . The ones that are wealthy, they’re few and far between. You usually see lesbians who are bar flies, UPS delivery workers, or the lesbian that’s the construction worker. You see the lumberjack. You never see the lawyer or the doctor in these bars. You never see the professional lesbian. . . . I think it’s because the lesbians I’m in contact with are young. They’re all just out of college or in college. And then the other ones you see at the bars are the old tired lesbians that are really gross and old in their 40s and 50s and sipping on their whiskey. Although Amy wanted to achieve a higher social class than the women she saw in the bars, these stereotypes had a relatively unfiltered influence on how she understood the relation- ship between sexual orientation and social class. Amy’s Model. When Amy depicted her identity in relationship to the model, she placed most of the dimensions, including January/February 2007 ◆ vol 48 no 1 9 Reconceptualizing Model culture, race, sexual orientation, and gender, approximately the same distance from her core. Social class was further from her core. Religion, which she described as “hooey,” was not relevant to her identity perceptions. Always defining her identity in opposition to stereo- types, she was adamant that none of these social identities influenced who she was as a person. Depicted on the reconceptualized model, Amy’s meaning-making filter would be relatively simple. Contextual influences would pass through the filter without Amy making her own meaning of them. transitional Meaning Making and Multiple dimensions of identity Several of the participants were making a transition or on the brink of a transition between formulaic and foundational meaning making. Their stories reflected tensions and conflicts within their identity. As their meaning making grew more complex, these participants were starting to …