possible selves
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Dec 6, 2023
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Possible Selves
Georgia J. Palmer
College of Social Science and Humanities, Grand Canyon University
CNL-518: Lifespan and Development
Dr. Willis
November 15, 2023
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Possible Selves
Society breaks down life as infancy, childhood, teenage years, and adulthood. Throughout
these years many occurrences and experiences can impact their current stage of life as well as
their futures. This is considered one’s possible self. A possible self is the representation of what
and who someone is or is not to become in the future. Moreover, a substantial amount of life is
spent in adulthood; therefore, this stage of life can experience many twists and turns (Kail &
Cavanaugh, 2019). It is important for counselors to discover ways to help adults promote
resilience, optimum development, and wellness; understand ethical and cultural issues; and
understand the similarities and differences in the reflective judgement theories.
Strategies
Adults go through a significant number of challenges as they grow. They experience life
and determine what they find true, false, right, wrong, and important to them. Adults are taking
in knowledge at an increased rate which means they are making decisions and opinions for
themselves. Due to the rapid amounts of knowledge, they must learn to be more resilient,
optimize their development, and prioritize their wellness. According to the
American
Psychological Association
(2020), it is important for adults to take care of their bodies, join
groups to prioritize relationships, practice mindfulness, and seek assistance when needed. When
discovering oneself it is important for individuals to embrace these things because of all the
questioning they will do to conclude decisions. Keeping a healthy body provides a clear mind
and promotes wellness and development. Additionally, the relationships they have with group
members, family, and even a counselor will allow them to understand what is important to them
and produce the most effective strategies (
American Psychological Association
, 2020).
Ethical and Cultural Considerations
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Everyone is different in terms of ethics and culture. It is important that as people age
these two factors are both considered. For instance, when people decide what they decide to eat
cultural considerations come into play. Judaism and Islamic cultures do not eat pork products.
Therefore, this is something that would be considered against their religious beliefs regardless of
a health benefit (Vered, 2010). Additionally, some cultures determine divorce and infidelity as
unethical. However, they may also determine domestic violence as unethical. Therefore,
someone experiencing domestic violence can be seen as being unethical if they decide to divorce
their abusive spouse. These ethical and cultural considerations can change as their reflective
judgement because it impacts what decisions they make (Altawalbeh, Alkhateeb, & Attarabeen,
2020).
Stages of Reflective Judgement Theories
There are a total of seven stages according to the reflective judgement theory. Stages one
through three are considered the prereflective reasoning stages. Stages four and five are the
quasi-reflective stages. Stages six and seven are the reflective stages. Each stage Reflective
judgement is an individual’s perspective on important life experiences, situations, and dilemmas.
Prereflective Stage
The first three stages make up the prereflective stage of the reflective judgement theory.
Knowledge and information is obtained and perceived as sound information. There does not need
to be facts involved, however, if an authority figure states it, it is deemed as true. Additionally, no
evidence is required (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2019; Legrand, 2017). For instance, if the governor
states there is a stage of emergency because there may be a snowstorm potentially coming; it is
fact no matter what. That fact that it could be a state that has never gotten snow; or even in the
person’s county who believes it. It lacks reason, evidence, or logical thought (Legrand, 2007).
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Quasi-Reflective Stage
The next two stages make up quasi-reflective thinking. These two stages view knowledge
with question. This brings up the idea that there is uncertainty in knowledge and unless there is
evidence it may not be true (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2019). Knowledge is verified with examples,
evidence, and facts. For instance, the idea of God is a hard idea to grasp due to not having
concrete evidence. Stage five within quasi-reflective thinking is still leaving questions. However,
it is more complex as the ideas and evidence are compared. For example, the idea of religion and
God is questioned but compared to other religions. Additionally, there is an understanding of
different views by others throughout the process (Xin & Lal, 2005).
Reflective Stage
The final two stages are considered apart of reflective reasoning. These stages lead to an
understanding that people form their knowledge and understanding with evidence, analysis, and
problem solving. Overall, it allows the person to draw their own conclusion based on what
evidence they have. With this, their opinions and ideas can and will change as more evidence
becomes available to them (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2019). For example, a jury utilizes their
reflective thinking strategies when deciding whether someone is guilty or not. The more
evidence revealed the more they can draw their own conclusions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while life prior to adulthood does provide a solid foundation for
individuals who enter adulthood; it is also important for individuals to continue to develop
strongly within adulthood. A counselor’s ability to assist adults with promoting resilience,
development, and wellness even with ethical and cultural issues; and ability to relate the
reflective judgement theories. Furthermore, with these understandings can allow someone to gain
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knowledge and understanding of the potential possible self they may or may not become (Kail &
Cavanaugh, 2019).
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References
Altawalbeh, S. M., Alkhateeb, F. M., & Attarabeen, O. F. (2020). Ethical Issues in Consenting
Older Adults: Academic Researchers and Community Perspectives. Journal of
pharmaceutical health services research : an official journal of the Royal Pharmaceutical
Society of Great Britain, 11(1), 25–32. https://doi.org/10.1111/jphs.12327
American Psychological Association. (2020, February 1). Building your resilience.
https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience/building-your-resilience
Kail, R. V., & Cavanaugh, J. C. (2019). Human development: A life-span view (8th ed.).
Cengage. ISBN-13: 9781337554831
Legrand D. (2007). Pre-reflective self-as-subject from experiential and empirical perspectives.
Consciousness and cognition, 16(3), 583–599.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2007.04.002
Vered R. (2010). Prescribing pork in Israel. Gastronomica : the journal of food and culture,
10(3), 19–22. https://doi.org/10.1525/gfc.2010.10.3.19
Xin Li & Shirley Lal (2005) Critical reflective thinking through service‐learning in multicultural
teacher education, Intercultural Education, 16:3, 217-234, DOI:
10.1080/14675980500211832
6
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