Being a friend and a mentor at the same time: a pooled case comparison

A taxonomy of the characteristics of student peer mentors in higher education: findings from a literature review

“…References to the interdependent attitude of a mentor, or to similar concepts of interdependency, occur in 24% of the studies. As stated by Young et al (2004), the personal and professional development of mentors rests partly on their willingness to be continuous learners. A mentor's sense of interdependency is likely to improve collegiality and, according to Tinto (1993), peer mentors achieve this interdependency by supporting the academic and social integration of mentees into the university system.…”

“…Therefore, potential mentors should display flexibility not only toward the values of their mentees, but also toward their own expectations for task-oriented outcomes. Likewise, Young et al (2004) note the importance of mentors being able to accept the limitations of their mentees. Patience therefore is an important characteristic of successful mentors, as pointed out by Lawson (1989) and Johnson (2002).…”

“…Although the need to respect ethical boundaries in mentoring relationships should always remain a primary concern (Rose, 2003), Young et al (2004) found that interdependency and ultimately friendship can facilitate a sense of connectedness between the mentor and mentee while still encouraging individual growth.…”

“…As with other terms, an interdependent attitude is often described using alternative labels, such as mentors' ability to open themselves to mentees (Allen et al, 2000;Bouquillon et al, 2005), self-disclosure (Johnson, 2002), collegiality (Allen et al, 2000;Scott, 2005;Young et al, 2004), reciprocity (Bouquillon et al, 2005), willingness to learn from mentees or whatever sources are appropriate (Lopez-Real & Characteristics of student peer mentors in higher education 159 Kwan, 2005), interest in collaborative learning (Randels et al, 1992), ability to express personal or professional vulnerability (McDougall & Beattie, 1997;Rose, 2003), willingness to share experiences and be receptive (Pitney & Ehlers, 2004), sharing personal aspects of life (Rose, 2003), sharing personal and professional concerns (Rose, 2005), and promoting an equal and collaborative relationship (Sands et al, 1991).…”

“…However, there is considerable variation in the terminology used to describe an empathetic nature, including sympathetic (Mee-Lee & Bush, 2003), understanding (Allen & Poteet, 1999;Awayaa et al, 2003;Mann, 1994;McLean, 2004;Schmidt et al, 2004;Young et al, 2004), responsive (Scott, 2005;Young et al, 2004), sensitive (Apter & Carter, 2002;Schmidt et al, 2004), compassionate (Schmidt et al, 2004), non-judgmental (Lawson, 1989;McDougall & Beattie, 1997), and concern for the welfare of others (Allen et al, 2000). Three articles identify concepts fundamental to empathy: an alertness 'to mentees' concerns and dilemmas' (Awayaa et al, 2003, p. 53), an ability to recognize mentees' feelings (Mann, 1994), and being in an other-oriented state (Apter & Carter, 2002).…”