August 2009

Arthur Chickering’s “7 Vectors of Development” theorizes there are 7 areas of development that students must pass through in college, and that some students arrive to campus in the beginning phases of development while others have already developed a strong self-image. By moving through these 7 vectors, students would move toward solidifying their identity.

The 7 Vectors include:

1. Developing Competence
2. Managing Emotions
3. Moving Through Autonomy Toward Interdependence
4. Developing Mature Interpersonal Relationships
5. Establishing Identity
6. Developing Purpose
7. Developing Integrity

Students are influenced by both formal instruction and less formal faculty/staff/student interaction, as well as club an organizational involvement.

Growth happens when:

1. the student is involved in making choices,
2. the student interacts with diverse individuals and ideas,
3. the student is directly involved in new and varied experiences,
4. the student is involved in solving problems without demand for conformity to an authority’s opinion, and
5. the student is involved with receiving feedback and making an objective self assessment.

This is a very basic summary of the 7 Vectors, and was largely drawn from a summary that can be found at Central MIchigan University’s Office of Residence Life website. In upcoming articles, we’ll explore each of the vectors and examine how they can provide a framework for coaching students toward success in college, and can be a starting point for discussions with college parents about how their actions and interactions can assist or derail their students.