Kegan's Orders of Consciousness

Abstract

Kegan's orders of consciousness are useful in developing a holistic understanding of college students' ways of knowing that incorporates their thinking, feeling, and social relating.

The role of community college-based transfer programming in transfer student success.

“…It is the transition between these orders in which Kegan is most interested. Love and Guthrie (1999) relates to others instead of the actual content (Love & Guthrie, 1999). Third, in each order of consciousness there is a different subject-object relationship.…”

“…The fourth assumption is that all six orders are related to one another; they do not replace each other, but rather each order incorporates the one prior. In this way, the higher order becomes more complex (Love & Guthrie, 1999). Finally, "what is taken as subject and object is not fixed; what was subject at one order becomes object at the next order.…”

“…(Kegan, 1982). Order 1, impulsive, centers on egocentrism as children (ages 5 to 7) view the world from a fantasy-filled position, the objects and meaning changing as the child's perception of them changes (Love & Guthrie, 1999). Most adolescents between the ages of 12 and 16 also make their way through the next order, imperial (order 2), which focuses on "durable categories" that are consistent and separate from the individual.…”

“…by their similarities and differences (Kegan, 1982;Love & Guthrie, 1999). There is a chance that some beginning college students still will be making the transition between this order and the next, interpersonal (order 3), on which it is much more difficult to place an age norm (Kegan, 1982, Love & Guthrie, 1999Ignelzi, 2000).…”

“…There is a chance that some beginning college students still will be making the transition between this order and the next, interpersonal (order 3), on which it is much more difficult to place an age norm (Kegan, 1982, Love & Guthrie, 1999Ignelzi, 2000). So, between the ages of 12 and early adulthood (where a majority of transfer students will fall), adolescents will make the "gradual transformation of mind" (p. 69) from the imperial (2 nd ) to the interpersonal (3 rd ) order (Love & Guthrie, 1999). In this transition, a person will have to stretch to begin to think abstractly and see him-or herself as part of a community in a "culture of mutuality" (Kegan, 1982, p. 119).…”