I Know What I Want: Academic Advising and Foreclosed Identity

On Monday at 3:15, Marion Schartz will present what looks like a really compelling presentation on an intriguing theory with very real implications for our day-to-day advising...especially when working with exploratory students. Here's the run down in Marion's words:

James Marcia described foreclosed identity as making premature life commitments without adequate exploration. Advisors recognize foreclosure in students who refuse alternatives to unrealistic goals, ignore general education, or insist they don't need a career because their sport is their future. Such narrowness is risky.

But foreclosure is complicated--conditioned by cultural background and family relationships; manifest in one area of development, such as academics, but not in another, such as sexual orientation or cultural identity. In a life full of uncertainty, foreclosure can actually support academic success, giving students the discipline and motivation to persist. 

This session will review some of the literature on foreclosure, explore its relation to student-centered advising, then apply it to case studies. Attendees will learn to approach students in foreclosure positively, building on strengths while helping them achieve reach informed decisions about their academic choices.  

So, don't overlook this session in your personal planning for the conference!


Marion Schwartz, PhD, is an academic advisor int he Division of Undergraduate Studies at Penn State. She's also terrifically active in presentation and leadership within NACADA