Ordenanza N° 2.588/92

Understanding the issue of how lecturers develop a professional identity implies understanding the psychological issues involved with regard to the identity positioning of lecturers on entering the university. It cannot be assumed that a lecturer merely learns a professional identity by working as a lecturer within a university. This is because assumptions about how and why the lecturer learns as psychological issues are not really included. I explain this with a quote from Illeris (2003:4) who states that ,“the questions of how human beings learn and why they so often fail to learn what is intended by management are not addressed as basic psychological issues.” For this reason I include a section on social identity theory as a way of understanding how social identity is developed and the bearing it has on professional identity development.

This study focuses on the professional identity development of lecturers in their first few years of work in a university. Murray (1938, in McAdams, 1990:150) states that it is possible to study the individual during one period of their life but it should be noted that this is just a randomly selected part of the whole. In light of this a brief investigation of the development of social identity from a psychological perspective makes it possible to

glean a general understanding of the personal and social identity positioning of the lecturer on entering the university. This will assist in understanding how different lecturers will perceive their new roles and the institutional culture into which they are immersed and whether or not a healthy social identity already exists. Having an already developed social identity will better facilitate the lecturer’s transition into the university environment.

In the investigation of how lecturers develop a professional identity it is necessary to briefly study personal identity as well as social identity. This is because the lecturer’s position is such that the need to have a personal identity as well as a social identity arises from the need to survive both as an individual and as a part of a group so that a professional identity can be developed. There is a tendency in Western culture to rely more heavily on personal identity development (Brown, 1996). This is perhaps attributable to the fact that the term ‘development’ itself has to do with notions such as “being able to exercise increasing control over one’s life, being self-reliant, fulfilling personal potential and accepting responsibility for one’s actions” (Reeves, 1999:20).

It is difficult to make a distinction between personal identity and social identity. One’s experience of a social identity (for example, that of being a lecturer) will affect personality and character and one’s identity as a unique individual. On the other hand , one’s personal identity will have contributed to one’s choice of social identities or the personal way in which a social identity is acted out. However, what is important here for this study is how the lecturer performs either of these identities, or how the lecturer behaves in predicaments which will result in whether a personal or social identity becomes stronger or not. Equally important is the fact that each lecturer is an individual and so it will depend on whether the lecturer identifies more closely with a social or personal identity that will set the conditions for influence to occur or not. In other words, the construction of a social and in turn, a professional identity cannot be seen as developing in the vacuum of a university setting – it is more complex and involves investigation into the life story of the lecturer so that his or her personal and social

identity can be understood and then built on through informal mentorship and existing relevant communities of practice within the university.

Personal identity entails thinking of oneself as an independent person with self-interests distinct from those of other people. If the lecturer possesses a dominant personal identity then his or her accomplishments are measured against the rest of the group. In turn the successes of the group may diminish the view a lecturer has of himself or herself (Gray, 2002:515).

Social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, in Vaughan & Hogg, 2002:401) is based on the premise that social categories (such as a university, a club or church) provide members with a social identity. Social identity entails thinking of oneself as an interchangeable member of a group whose interests are shared by all members (Gray, 2002:564). According to Turner (1991, in Brown, 1996:35) the identity of individuals undergoes change when working in a group. When our social identity predominates, our group mates are a part of us and we experience their successes as ours (Gray, 2002:515). When the social identity is foremost, self feelings are elevated, not diminished, by evidence of group mates’ excellent performances.

Tajfel and Turner (cited in Wetherell, 1996:33) argue that people’s psychological processes are transformed in group settings. They suggest that the basis for people’s self- definition changes in groups in that personal identity gives way to social identity. They explain that when we function as individuals we function with a particular personality, various likes and dislikes, skills and talents and attitudes and opinions. These individual attributes may be carried into a group situation and are most apparent when disagreeing with the group. But in groups there are new identity possibilities – we can perceive ourselves as a member of a social group and as someone with characteristics of that group. Tajfel and Turner (cited in Brown, 1996:34) claim that this can also occur in small face-to-face groups. Turner (cited in Brown, 1996:35) explains that as people move toward identifying with a group they adjust their sense of identity, their thoughts, and their behaviours to match the collectively defined attributes of their social groups.

The work of Hall and Steedman (cited in Wetherell, 1996:302) suggests that people’s current identities strongly depend on their past and present social positions. Personal history is given form by the past and present - it is also formed by expectations of the future. As the lecturer has expectations of his or her own on entering the university there are implications for the university as a workplace in ensuring that conditions are set for social identities to develop. This leads to the socio-cultural context of the university and the role it has to play in the development of professional identity.

2.5 The socio-cultural context of the university and the development of