Developing Purpose in College: Differences between Freshmen and Seniors *

In the present study, 85 students from a large southeastern university completed the Iowa Vocational Purpose Inventory to determine if significant differences existed between freshmen and seniors on the development of vocational purpose in college. Results indicated that seniors self-reported significantly (p ********** According to a well-known student development theory (Chickering, 1969; Chickering & Reisser, 1993; Evans, Forney, & Guido-Dibrito, 1998), student development occurs sequentially along seven stages or vectors in college. Based on Lewin's (1936) interactionist paradigm and Erickson's (1950) stages of psychosocial development, Chickering's (1969) theory suggests that if the right mix of institutional supports exists on campus and if students are influenced or impacted by these services students will be more likely to complete the following tasks in college: 1) develop competence, 2) manage emotions, 3) move through autonomy toward interdependence, 4) develop mature interpersonal relationships, 5) establish identity, 6) develop purpose, and 7) develop integrity. The first vector is "developing competence." Developing competence can take three forms: intellectual, physical, and interpersonal. The second vector is "managing emotions." At this vector, college students begin to become aware of their emotions and seek to regulate their emotions to produce maximum behavioral outcomes. The third vector is "moving through autonomy toward interdependence." At this level, students are seeking to become more self-directed, and self-sufficient, thereby, ultimately reaching a moderate level of interdependence with family, friends, and other acquaintances. The fourth vector is "developing mature interpersonal relationships." The emphasis at this vector is on establishing and maintaining healthy interactions with other individuals in a way that is emotionally beneficial to all parties involved. The fifth vector is "establishing identity." In this vector, students begin to become aware of and learn to develop their own identity. As a result of this complex position, movement through the first four vectors is necessary. The sixth vector is "developing purpose." This vector, which also incorporates aspects of the preceding vectors, constitutes initiating and working toward occupation-related objectives. The seventh vector is "developing integrity." In this vector, the focus is on developing an ethical and moral framework that serves as a blueprint for living. Therefore, during this stage of development, students determine the values they wish to live by. Chickering's seven vectors enable student development professionals to understand how students are adjusting to deal with the uncertainty of adulthood. In addition, the seven vectors also enable student personnel in higher education to better understand their roles as student development professionals by specifying a series of interrelated stages college students are seeking to resolve. Stated differently, Chickering's theory provides researchers and student affairs practitioners with some very useful descriptors of the emotional and psychological transformation students might potentially undergo in college (Reisser, 1995; Thomas & Chickering, 1984; White & Hood, 1989). The present study seeks to isolate and study the sixth vector (i. …