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Theory Paper #2:

Synthesis of
Community Cultural Wealth;
Perrys Theory of Intellectual and Ethical Development; &
Baxter Magoldas Theory of Self-Authorship
Jeffrey Eng
SDAD 5400
Erica Yamamura
October 31, 2015

Analysis

Running head: THEORY PAPER #2

Yossos (2005) theory on Community Cultural Wealth challenges the

original definition of cultural capital in terms of how we view White culture as
being more valuable. Communities of color are often looked at as lacking in
cultural capital, but Yosso argues that we should focus on the unique capital
that they bring in. He identifies six types of community cultural wealth:
aspirational cultural wealth, familial capital, social capital, linguistic capital,
resistant capital, and navigational capital. Yossos theory is an important in
student development as it makes student affairs professional rethink how we
approach working with marginalized population in a non-deficit view, and
instead building on their strengths.
Perrys (1968) Theory on Intellectual and Ethical Development is
broken down into three basic concepts: Dualism describes individuals who
follow authority figures, and interprets the world as right or wrong;
Multiplicity is when you consider diverse perspectives as all equally valid;
and Relativism occurs when you are able to view that all opinions are not
equal, and you can construct a reasonable argument on why your
perspective is more valid. Development occurs when your position changes
between each continuum. This theory is useful in predicting how a student
might react in a given situation, and how to help them develop along each
stage.
Magoldas (2001) Theory on Self-Authorship describes how a student
develops their internal beliefs, identity, and social relations. Development
occurs in three phases: The Crossroads is where a student is dissatisfied with

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their current situation, but lack the capacity for change; Becoming the
Author of Ones Own Life is when a student is developing internal
perspectives and sense of self; and Internal Foundation occurs when you
have clearly defined perspectives that dictate your actions, and knowledge
construction. Assisting students with this process can help students find
meaning and purpose in college.
Synthesis
One area of synthesis across each theory is the importance of
intrapersonal development or the internal processes that result in selfidentity in college students. Perry (1968) and Magolda (2001) focus on the
internal belief system that students have, while Yosso (2005) looks at what
cultural wealth students have, and how they guide self-identity. These
theories offer a foundational understanding of where students sense of self
might be, and how student affairs professionals can help one up
intrapersonal development. In Perrys theory, moving students from being
dualistic thinkers to be multiplistic thinkers can be accomplished for example
in career counseling, where your aim is to move students from an external
locus of control (looking at authority figure for the right job), to an internal
locus of control (guiding students on career opportunities). This is done
through MBTI, exploring interests, looking at transferrable skills, etc.
Magoldas (2001) theory is important to consider when looking at if our
methods of advising students are intrusive or developmental. Too much
hand holding limits students ability for self-authorship because developing

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internal foundation requires struggle. Magoldas (2001) and Yossos (2005)

theory approaches students that had to go through hardship not as a deficit,
but instead demonstrates grit or resilience. This means they are forced to
develop self-authorship sooner. An example would be having navigational
capital to effectively know where to look for resources on campus as a first
generation college student versus a student who comes from privilege,
already having the knowledge provided to them by their parents.
Second area of intersection would be interpersonal development of
student once you have developed a strong sense of self, how does that
student interact with the world around them and contribute. Yossos theory
talks about valuing diverse perspectives, and being interdependent like
being multiplistic and having internal foundation are commonalities (Perry,
1968; Magolda, 2001). Student affairs professionals can help in this area by
creating learning communities that connect students with similar interests,
community building through activities and programming, and creating a safe
space to learn from about each students unique perspectives. Marginalized
students can share their cultural wealth, and students can learn different
ways of thinking and perceiving (Yosso, 2005; Magolda, 2001; Perry, 1968).
A limitation across all theories would be the sampling population may
not be representative of all students, and might limit generalizability. Perrys
(1968) theory is old, and only based off of data on affluent male college
students, and therefore might not be the reality of contemporary college
students. However, his theory describes a fundamental nature of college

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students, and is used as part of the philosophy of many institutions. Yossos

(2005) theory looks at communities of color, and is a counter to current
definition of cultural capital. Although his theory doesnt describe White
students specifically, it is important for student affairs professionals to help
marginalized students build on their strengths. Magoldas (2001) data consist
of a small sample size of White students from a small selective public school,
and therefore self-authorship may develop differently in other racial groups.
A second limitation to the study is that is can be difficult for student affairs
professionals to determine what cultural capital students come in with, and
what stages students might be on in Magoldas or Perrys theory. Student
affairs professionals would need to be in regular contact with students to
determine if long-term development is occurring based off of interventions.
Reflection
Community cultural wealth is not the most applicable to me, as I am an
individual who grew up with a lot of cultural capital, and my race did not limit
my access to higher education. In terms of Perrys (1968) theory, I would
consider myself a relativistic thinker as I value diverse perspectives, but I
often hold an opinion on what aligns more closely with my established beliefs
and values. This runs counter to where I see myself in Magoldas (2001)
theory in that I was at The Crossroads about a year ago when I left my job at
UVM, and have been taking the year since then redeveloping, and changing
my perspectives on higher education and where I fit in. This more cynical
view I have is hampering my creativity and some of my enthusiasm, but

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being in the SDA program is helping me improve these feelings and

attitudes.
These theories help in my professional development to categorize, and
predict where students might be at developmentally in terms of how they
make decisions, and how they develop sense of self. This helps me better
structure how I approach working with certain students. I can better relate to
students if I can see examples of where I currently lie in the theories. If I
were working with diverse students, that were coming from less means, I
might ask more questions like when did you experience obstacles, and how
did you overcome them to gauge self-authorship development. If students
have a dualistic mindset when I advise them, I might challenge those
students to make their own decision, as oppose to doing it for them. I would
consider the cultural wealth that these students possess, to avoid the deficit
approach that can be damaging, but also keeping in mind to develop missing
knowledge in the process.