Chickering's Concept 

• Seven Vectors: What students go through (identity, purpose, emotions, etc.)

• Seven Environmental Influences: What shapes their growth (faculty, curriculum, community, etc.)

• Three Admonitions: How we should use the theory (mindsets & strategies for educators)

🧭 Chickering’s Seven Vectors of Identity Development

Each “vector” represents a major direction of growth that contributes to identity formation. These are not sequential stages, but they often build on one another and recur throughout a student’s development.

1. Developing Competence

• Intellectual competence: mastering knowledge, critical thinking, reasoning

• Physical and manual competence: athletic/artistic skills, wellness, and practical abilities

• Interpersonal competence: communication, leadership, teamwork
  
  

2. Managing Emotions

• Recognizing and accepting emotions

• Appropriately expressing and controlling them

• Acting on feelings in a responsible way

• Includes a broad range of emotions: anxiety, shame, joy, optimism, etc.
  
  

3. Moving Through Autonomy Toward Interdependence

• Emotional independence: freedom from constant need for approval

• Instrumental independence: self-direction, problem-solving, mobility

• Interdependence: recognition of mutual dependence and connectedness
  
  

4. Developing Mature Interpersonal Relationships

• Ability to form deep, lasting friendships

• Tolerance and appreciation of differences

• Healthy intimate relationships

• Includes intercultural awareness and empathy
  
  

5. Establishing Identity

• Comfort with body, appearance, gender, sexual orientation

• Awareness of cultural and social identity

• Clarity about roles and lifestyle

• Sense of self, self-esteem, and internal stability

• Influenced by feedback from others and social experiences
  
  

6. Developing Purpose

• Clarity about career and life goals

• Commitment to personal interests and activities

• Establishing strong interpersonal commitments

• Making decisions and following through, even amid opposition
  
  

7. Developing Integrity

• Involves three overlapping stages:

  1. Humanizing values – recognizing others’ perspectives

  2. Personalizing values – forming your own beliefs

  3. Developing congruence – aligning values and behavior

• Encourages authenticity and social responsibility
  
  

🌱 Chickering’s Seven Key Environmental Influences

These are factors that shape and support student development across the vectors.

1. Institutional Objectives

• Clear goals and values that guide policies, programs, and services

• Helps students align with or challenge institutional priorities
  
  

2. Institutional Size

• Smaller size = more personal interactions and meaningful participation

• Concern: large size can lead to student anonymity and underdevelopment
  
  

3. Student-Faculty Relationships

• Frequent, authentic interaction builds trust and growth

• Students need to see faculty in varied roles (teacher, mentor, human)

• Positive relationships include: accessibility, authenticity, and care
  
  

4. Curriculum

• Should be relevant to students’ backgrounds and experiences

• Must offer diverse perspectives

• Encourage questioning of assumptions, values, and identity
  
  

5. Teaching

• Effective teaching involves:

  • Active learning

  • Student-faculty interaction

  • Timely feedback

  • High expectations + respect for differences

Encourages cognitive and interpersonal development

6. Friendships and Student Communities

• Students grow through peer learning and shared interests

• Ideal communities: diverse, inclusive, and small enough for meaningful connection
  
  

7. Student Development Programs and Services

• Staff must see themselves as educators, not just service providers

• Programs should be developmental, inclusive, and supportive of the whole student
  
  

📣 The Three Admonitions (or CTA)

These are broad calls to action for educators who want to create powerful developmental environments.

1. Integration of Work and Learning

• Foster collaboration across academics, work, and community experiences

• Maximize developmental potential of jobs and volunteer roles
  
  

2. Recognition and Respect for Individual Differences

• Diversity is growing — and conflict is likely without understanding

• Institutions must adapt interventions to meet diverse student needs
  
  

3. Acknowledgment of the Cyclical Nature of Learning and Development

• Growth isn’t linear — students go through cycles of progress, discomfort, and renewal

• Upset or struggle can signal true learning and growth