Concordia University - Portland CU Commons Undergraduate Theses Spring 2018 Where to Next? Undergraduate Uncertainty Regarding Life After College Emily Goodson Concordia University - Portland Follow this and additional works at: http://commons.edu/theses Part of the Psychology Commons CU Commons Citation Goodson, Emily, "Where to Next? Undergraduate Uncertainty Regarding Life After College" (2018).edu/theses/159 This Open Access Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by CU Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Undergraduate Theses by an authorized administrator of CU Commons. For more information, please contact libraryadmin@cu-portland. Running head: UNDERGRADUATE UNCERTAINTY 1 Where to Next? Undergraduate Uncertainty Regarding Life After College A senior thesis submitted to The Department of Psychology College of Arts & Sciences In partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology by Emily Goodson Faculty Supervisor _________________________________________ ____________ Dr.
Reed Mueller Date Department Chair _________________________________________ ____________ Dr. Reed Mueller Date Dean, College of Arts & Sciences ___________________________________________ ____________ Dr. Michael Thomas Date Provost __________________________________________________ ____________ Dr. Joe Mannion Date Concordia University Portland, Oregon April, 2018 UNDERGRADUATE UNCERTAINTY 2 Abstract Uncertainty is arguably a universal human experience that transcends culture.
One threat to existential meaning identified in the literature was the experience of personal uncertainty, defined as either an aversive feeling experienced when one feels uncertain about the self or as a neutral cognitive state created when an individual is unable to determine meaning, categorize or assign value to an event, or predict outcomes, with positive or negative reactions influenced by individual perception. Thus far, literature regarding uncertainty has focused disproportionately on medical uncertainty while studies of uncertainty in college students have yielded mixed results. The current study sought to answer the question, “How do undergraduate college students experience living with existential uncertainty regarding where to go next after university (i., career, higher education, or exploration)?” Utilizing Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), a single-subject case study of a Caucasian, female student with a declared major attending Concordia University in Portland, Oregon was conducted. Primary themes found in this study were money, family, and anxiety reported to fall under the higher- order theme of external influences.
This theme was found to interact with the subtheme of intrapersonal considerations to shape student experience of uncertainty. Study results were compared against theoretical understandings of uncertainty reported in the literature and implications for career counselors were discussed. Strengths and limitations of the present study were then explored. Keywords: existential uncertainty, undergraduate college students, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) UNDERGRADUATE UNCERTAINTY 3 Table of Contents Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………….
5 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………… 6 Literature Review ………………………………………………………………………. 9 Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) ………………………………. 15 Early Studies: Medical Uncertainty and Emotional Outcomes ……………. 19 Health Psychology: An Example of the Utility of IPA ……………………….
21 Career Uncertainty and Career Counselling …………………………………… 23 Current Study …………………………………………………………………. 28 Data Collection Procedures ……………………………………………………. 30 Declaration on Conflicts of Interest or Lack Thereof …………………………. 31 UNDERGRADUATE UNCERTAINTY 4 Data Analysis Procedures …………………………………………………….
31 Data Protection and Security Plan ……………………………………………. 33 Risks and Discomforts …………………………………………………………. 35 Primary Themes …………………………………………………………………35 Relationship Between Themes ………………………………………………….48 Interactive Subtheme ……………………………………………………………50 Discussion ………………………………………………………………………………54 Contributions ……………………………………………………………………54 Strengths and Limitations ……………………………………………………… 60 Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………63 References ………………………………………………………………………………. 71 UNDERGRADUATE UNCERTAINTY 5 Acknowledgements I extend my sincere gratitude to all who helped make this thesis possible.
Thank you to my thesis advisor Dr. Reed Mueller for guiding me through this journey with patience, grace, and unwavering support. Thank you for consistently believing in me, especially when I doubted myself. You have taught me adaptability, growth through difficulty, and the value of perseverance.
Thank you to Dr. Erin Mueller for supporting and encouraging me through the challenges of my research process. Your assistance enabled me to step beyond my comfort zone. Thank you to my committee members, professor Bobbi Woodford and professor Megan Bouslaugh, for your willingness to read my (very long) thesis, contribute your feedback, and attend my defense.
Thank you, Bobbi, for strengthening my writing with your feedback. Thank you, Megan, for teaching me the interviewing skills needed for my data collection! I could not have effectively navigated the interviewing process without your instruction. Thank you to my fellow psychology thesis students who endured the challenges and stresses of this process alongside me. You encouraged me at every step, and your feedback helped shape this thesis.
I am grateful to have walked this journey with you. And thank you to my friends and family who have tolerated many a stress-induced breakdown and listened to all my complaining. You kept me going. To everyone who believed in my ability to succeed at this most ambitious and challenging project I have ever embarked on: Thank you! UNDERGRADUATE UNCERTAINTY 6 Where to Next? Undergraduate Uncertainty Regarding Life After College Uncertainty is arguably a universal human experience that transcends culture (Penrod, 2007).
As such, it has been studied by psychologists using an existential phenomenological framework to analyze subjective perceptions of individuals living through a phenomenon with the assumption that individuals attempt to make meaning out of life (Amundson, Borgen, Iaquinta, Butterfield, & Koert, 2010; Smith, Flowers, & Osborn, 1997). A core threat to existential meaning-making is the experience of personal uncertainty, defined in the literature as either an aversive feeling experienced when one feels uncertain about the self or as a cognitive state created when an individual is unable to determine meaning, categorize or assign value to an event, or predict outcomes (McCormick, 2002; Van den Bos, 2009). Concepts related, though not synonymous, to uncertainty in the literature have included ambiguity, vagueness, unpredictability, unfamiliarity, loss of control and confidence, inconsistency, lack of information, and insecurity (McCormick, 2002; Mishel et al., 2005; Van den Bos, 2009). Though some researchers have found uncertainty to inhibit one’s ability to make decisions, reduce psychosocial adjustment and quality of life, and create psychological distress and anxiety, others have suggested uncertainty is a “neutral cognitive state” that may be normative or adaptive, with positive or negative reactions influenced by individual perception (McCormick, 2002; McGregor, Zanna, Holmes, & Spencer, 2001; Mishel et al., 2005; Penrod, 2007; Van den Bos, 2009).
An overwhelming majority of studies have examined medical uncertainty as related to different types of cancer or uncertain experiences of nurses, primary care physicians, and family caregivers (Halldórsdóttir & Hamrin, 1996; McCormick, 2002; UNDERGRADUATE UNCERTAINTY 7 Mishel et al., 2005; Penrod, 2007; Starks & Trinidad, 2007). Studies that have advanced the conceptual understanding of uncertainty expanded beyond concept analysis by asking, “What is the nature of the lived experience of uncertainty?” (Penrod, 2007, p. Phenomenological research findings have enabled scholars to uncover discrepancies between theory and real-world experience (Penrod, 2007). Authors of phenomenological studies have made significant contributions to the profession of nursing by using thematic analysis to find a central theme for living with cancer was "experiencing existential changes" that included feelings of uncertainty, allowing professionals to more fully understand the patient experience (Halldórsdóttir & Hamrin, 1996).
High uncertainty has been found to be related to emotional distress, anxiety, and depression with a lack of research on positive aspects of uncertainty such as growth opportunity (McCormick, 2002). Furthermore, randomized controlled studies have yielded that uncertainty management for fears of recurrence resulted in numerous benefits for long-term cancer survivors (e., improved cognitive reframing, cancer knowledge, patient–provider communication, and coping skills) (McCormick, 2002; Mishel et al. Such results suggest that managing uncertainty though interventions may help alleviate negative impacts identified in phenomenological studies, thus supporting the value of initial, descriptive phenomenological research efforts. Despite advancements in understanding medical uncertainty, there exists a large gap in the literature concerning non-medical forms of uncertainty, such as existential career uncertainty, and an underrepresentation of college student participants.
Few studies have addressed the transition of university graduates to the workforce or students who have yet to establish a career direction and struggle with the ability to make career UNDERGRADUATE UNCERTAINTY 8 choices (Amundson et al. Researchers have found that many college students, both with declared and undeclared majors, expressed uncertainty about career direction yet reported mixed results on the differences between the two groups, suggesting a need for further study (Orndorff & Herr, 1996). Value-based career counseling for multipotential college students was found to affirm career goals and increase certainty, demonstrating real-world applications for the study of uncertainty (Kerr & Erb, 1991). However, many vocational programs that assist individuals with career exploration, decision-making, and job performance have ignored the process of how decisions are made by focusing more on the choices themselves, suggesting that the phenomenology of uncertainty may reveal potential reasons current management interventions succeed or fail (Betz & Hackett, 1986; Starks & Trinidad, 2007; Van den Bos, 2009).
Since human agency to make decisions was found to be related to interpersonal, intrapersonal, and contextual factors, career and vocational counselors must assist clients to better understand the subjective world of personal goals, values, interests, attitudes, and emotions (Chen, 2006). To provide insight into how counselors may best assist uncertain undergraduate students, uncovering relevant themes related to uncertainty may reveal considerations to be addressed at universities. As Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) has been demonstrated as useful for the study of uncertainty in health psychology, suggesting applications beyond nursing (Smith et al., 1997), the methodological framework has been applied in this study of uncertainty in an undergraduate sample. In my phenomenological case study, I sought to answer the question, “How do undergraduate college students experience living with existential uncertainty regarding where to go next after university UNDERGRADUATE UNCERTAINTY 9 (i., career, higher education, or exploration)?” Secondary considerations included 1) comparison of the theoretical conceptualizations of uncertainty with identified phenomenological themes found in this study and 2) possible implications for career counselors.
Literature Review Qualitative research methodologies have enabled researchers to examine subjective meaning through analysis of first-hand participant accounts. One such method, phenomenology, aims to make meaning of lived experiences to gain a more complete understanding of common truths that underlie human phenomena (Starks & Trinidad, 2007). Following the examination of philosophical assumptions underlying phenomenology and why the method best suits the study of uncertainty, similar descriptions of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), a variant of phenomenological study, are given. Currently debated definitions of uncertainty are discussed along with subsequent studies of medical uncertainty and related emotional outcomes.
Results of IPA health psychology studies are also detailed. After the need for further phenomenological study is demonstrated for career uncertainty and career counseling, I advocate for the ability of the present study to address gaps in the literature surrounding undergraduate, existential career uncertainty. Phenomenology Qualitative research methodologies offer a unique opportunity for researchers to examine individual, subjective meaning through analysis of first-hand accounts at a level of depth and description quantitative tests do not provide (Starks & Trinidad, 2007). UNDERGRADUATE UNCERTAINTY 10 Through the examination of participant life experiences, researchers have sought to understand how individuals give experiences meaning (Byrne, 2001).
In qualitative research, three common methodologies are discourse analysis, grounded theory, and phenomenology. While discourse analysis focuses on how language is used to accomplish personal objectives and grounded theory seeks to explain basic social processes, phenomenology aims to make meaning of lived experience (i., immediately processed, conscious awareness of life) to gain a more complete understanding of common truths that underlie human phenomena (Starks & Trinidad, 2007; Van Manen, 2016). When studying a concept such as the experience of uncertainty, it can be argued that phenomenology serves as the optimal method to make sense of lived human experience and shed light on limited or overlooked theoretical understandings of the phenomenon in the literature. It has been argued that phenomenology was the most significant philosophical movement of the 20th century (Priest, 2003).
Philosophically, phenomenology is rooted in specific assumptions that deeply influence the way in which the methodology is carried out. The father of phenomenology has been cited as Edmund Husserl, a German philosopher and mathematician who rejected the idea that the empirical scientific method was the ultimate way to understand reality (Byrne, 2001; Priest, 2003).