Some issues in developing a professional identity

Professional identity is defined as the relatively stable and enduring constellation of attributes, beliefs, values, motives, and experiences in terms of which people define themselves in a professional role (Schein, as cited in Ibarra, 2000).

Developing a professional identity involves a transition from "an inexpert learner to that of claiming some professional expertise and authority" (Cloonan & Kinna, 2005). What might this involve for postgraduate students, and who does this well?

Carrie Yang Costello (2006) of the University of Wisconsin found that students who were female, of colour, disabled, or poor entered professional schools with solid academic records yet often tended to under perform compared to white males. The success of white male students was explained by their likeliness to acquire appropriate professional identities easily, while those without this 'privilege' experienced a dissonance between their personal identities and the professional roles portrayed within their schools. This dissonance distracted them from focussing on their studies.

Costello says that this dissonance applies to the development of academics as professionals as well.

... many first-year graduate students feel uncomfortable in their seminar classes. They may feel that their contributions to discussion are inadequate, and be unsure of why this is so. They may try to improve their performance by spending hours reading and preparing, and still find their comments falling flat. The problem is not one of intellect, but one of habitus, although few understand this. The approved habitus varies between academic departments — just compare a roomful of English dissertators with a roomful of economics doctoral students. But the basic process of needing to acquire both a knowledge base and a professional identity is consistent across disciplines. This contributes to the disproportionate success of white men in academia.(Costello, as cited in McLemee, 2006)

How do you assist this transition to 'professional expertise and authority' for all postgraduates?

• Cloonan, D., & Kinna, J. (2005). Developing a professional identity. Retrieved April 5, 2006, from http://www.gradstudies.unimelb.edu.au/prog_services/programs/upskill/professional.html
• Costello, C. Y. (2006). Professional identity crisis: Race, class, gender, and success at professional schools. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press
• Ibarra, H. (2000). Provisional Selves: Experimenting With Professional Identity, Retrieved April 5, 2006, from http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item.jhtml?id=1275&t=organizations
• McLemee, S. (2006). Political Correctness, Retrieved April 5, 2006 from http://insidehighered.com/views/2006/02/08/mclemee