Related Experiment Videos
A Narrative Inquiry of Meaning Making and Leader Identity Development among College Students.
Hannah M Sunderman1, Kate D McCain1, Jonathan Orsini2
1Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.
New Directions for Student Leadership
|May 15, 2026
Summary
Leader identity development (LID) and meaning-making are crucial processes. This study found that leadership experiences foster personal growth and self-worth through meaning-making in college students.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Leadership Studies
Background:
- Leader identity development (LID) and meaning-making are interconnected developmental processes.
- Understanding these processes from childhood to emerging adulthood is crucial for personal growth.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the developmental trajectories of leader identity and meaning-making.
- To investigate the relationship between leadership experiences, meaning-making, and personal development outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a qualitative approach with two open-ended interviews.
- Employed a narrative storytelling method to explore participants' experiences.
- Focused on college students (N=26) to examine LID high, low, and turning points.
Main Results:
- A distinct process of leader identity development emerged.
- Leadership development experiences led to personal development outcomes.
- Meaning-making opportunities were central to fostering a sense of personal worthiness.
Conclusions:
- Leader identity development is a dynamic process influenced by experiences and meaning-making.
- Meaning-making plays a vital role in translating leadership experiences into personal growth and self-worth.
- The findings highlight the importance of supporting these interconnected processes in emerging adulthood.
Related Concept Videos
01:21Role-Based Identity
Role-based identities are central to understanding how individuals navigate social environments by adopting distinct self-conceptions aligned with various societal roles. These identities are not fixed traits but are constructed through personal actions and the social feedback individuals receive in context-specific interactions. Each social role, such as student, teacher, or friend, carries a set of expectations and norms that influence how people think, feel, and behave within that...
01:23Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
Adolescence is a pivotal period of identity formation, during which individuals begin to answer questions central to their sense of self, such as "Who am I?" and "Who do I hope to become?" Both parents and peers play critical roles in guiding adolescents through this complex developmental phase.
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth. This guiding role...
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth. This guiding role...
01:30Self Within Cultural Contexts
Cultural frameworks for understanding the self are often categorized into two broad orientations: individualism and collectivism. These paradigms influence how people define themselves, relate to others, and interpret their social worlds. Each orientation offers distinct perspectives on autonomy, responsibility, and the role of the individual within a community.Individualistic CulturesIn individualistic cultures like North America and Western Europe, identity is understood as autonomous and...
01:27Emerging Adulthood
Jeffrey Arnett's concept of emerging adulthood offers a framework to understand the unique developmental stage between adolescence and full-fledged adulthood, generally from ages 18 to 25. This period is marked by extensive exploration and shifts in identity, relationships, and career choices, a process known in psychology as role experimentation. Emerging adulthood reflects the evolving cultural expectations surrounding adulthood and the dynamic process of personal transformation during this...
01:26Marcia's Theory of Identity Status
James Marcia's identity status model provides a framework for understanding how adolescents navigate identity formation through varying degrees of exploration and commitment. Marcia's model builds on Erik Erikson's theories of psychosocial development, focusing specifically on how adolescents reconcile individual aspirations with societal expectations. His model describes identity formation as a dynamic process where adolescents move between different states depending on their level of...
02:57The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison
According to Charles Cooley, we base our image on what we think other people see (Cooley 1902). We imagine how we must appear to others, then react to this speculation. We don certain clothes, prepare our hair in a particular manner, wear makeup, use cologne, and the like—all with the notion that our presentation of ourselves is going to affect how others perceive us. We expect a certain reaction, and, if lucky, we get the one we desire and feel good about it. But more than that, Cooley...