現(xiàn)代大學(xué)英語(yǔ)精讀3uint1原文5108

現(xiàn)代大學(xué)英語(yǔ)精讀3uint1原文

YourCollegeYears

Haveyoueverconsideredthechangesthatare

takingplaceandwilltakeplaceinyourlifeas

acollegestudent?Hasiteveroccurredtoyou

thatyourprofessorsandotherschoolpersonnel

havecertaingoalsforyourgrowthandmaturity

duringyourcollegeyears?Hasiteverdawnedon

youthatcertaindevelopmentalchangeswill

occurinyourlifeasyoumovefromadolescence

toyoungadulthood?Thoughcollegestudents

seldomthinkaboutthem,keychangeswill

probablyhappentothemduringtheircollege

years.

Duringthistime,studentsaregoingthroughan

identitycrisisandareendeavoringtofindout

whotheyareandwhattheirstrengthsand

weaknessesare.Theyhave,ofcourse,plentyof

both.Itisimportanttoknowhowpeopleperceive

themselvesaswellashowotherpeopleperceive

them.AccordingtoPiersandLandau,inan

articlediscussingthetheoriesofErikH.

EricksoninInternationalEncyclopediaofSocial

Sciences(1979),identityisdeterminedby

geneticendowment(whatisinheritedfrom

parents),shapedbyenvironment,andinfluenced

bychanceevents.Peopleareinfluencedbytheir

environmentand,inturn,influencetheir

environment.Howpeopleseethemselvesinboth

rolesisunquestionablyapartoftheiridentity.

Whilestudentsaregoingthroughanidentity

crisis,theyarebecomingindependentfromtheir

parents,yetareprobablystillverydependent

onthem.Thisindependence/dependencestruggle

isverymuchapartofthelateradolescencestage.

Infact,itmaybeheightenedbytheirchoiceto

pursueacollegeeducation.Immediatelyafter

graduatingfromhighschool,somegraduates

choosetoentertheworkworld.Asaresultof

thischoice,theymaybecomefinancially

independentfromtheirparents.Butcollege

studentshavechosentogrowandlearnnewskills

thattakeyearstodevelop,sotheyprobablyneed

atleastsomedegreeofdependenceontheir

parents.

InhisApril1984article"Psychological

SeparationofLateAdolescentsfromTheir

Parents"intheJournalofCounselingPsychology,

JefferyA.Hoffmanobservedthattherearefour

distinctaspectstopsychologicalseparation

fromone'sparents.First,thereisfunctional

independence,whichinvolvesthecapabilityof

individualstotakecareofpracticaland

personalaffairs,suchashandlingfinances,

choosingtheirownwardrobes,anddetermining

theirdailyagenda.Second,thereisattitudinal

independence,whichmeansthatindividualslearn

toseeandacceptthedifferencebetweentheir

ownattitudes,values,andbeliefsandthoseof

theirparents.Thethirdprocessof

psychologicalseparationisemotional

independence.Hoffmandefinesthisprocessas

"freedomfromanexcessiveneedforapproval,

closeness,togetherness,andemotionalsupport

inrelationtothemotherandfather."For

example,collegestudentswouldfeelfreeto

selectthemajorthattheywanttopursuewithout

feelingtheymusthaveparentalapproval.Fourth

isfreedomfrom"excessiveguilt,anxiety,

mistrust,responsibility,inhibition,

resentment,andangerinrelationtothemother

andfather."Collegestudentsneedtostandback

andseewheretheyareintheindependence/

dependencestruggle.

Probablyoneofthemoststressfulmattersfor

youngcollegestudentsisestablishingtheir

sexualidentity,whichincludesrelatingtothe

oppositesexandprojectingtheirfutureroles

asmenorwomen.Eachmustdefineherorhis

sexualidentityinafeminineormasculinerole.

Theseareexcitingtimesyetfrustratingtimes.

Probablynothingcanmakestudentsfeelloweror

higheremotionallythanthewaytheyarerelating

towhomevertheyarehavingaromantic

relationshipwith.Forexample,whenIwas

workingwithayoungcollegestudent,hebounced

intomyofficeoncewithasmileonhisfaceand

excitementinhisvoice.Theyoungmandeclared,

"I'vejusthadthebestdayofmylife!"Hewent

ontoexplainhowhehadmetanextraordinary

youngwomanandhowthisrelationshipwasallhe

haddreamedaromanticrelationshipshouldbe.

Thatsameyoungmancameintomyofficelessthan

aweeklater,dragginghisfeetwithadismayed,

dejectedlookonhisface.Hesatdowninthesame

chair,sigheddeeply,anddeclared,"I'vejust

hadtheworstdayofmylife!"Heandtheyoung

womanhadjusthadanargument,andtheir

relationshipwasnolongergoingwell.Thus,the

waystudentsarerelatingtothoseofthe

oppositesexhasadefiniteinfluenceontheir

emotions.

Atthesametime,theseyoungadultsarelearning

howtogiveandreceiveaffectionintheadult

world.Thisaspectofgrowthdealsnotonlywith

interactionwiththeoppositesexbutwith

friendsofbothsexesandallages.Astheygrow

andreachyoungadulthood,thewaytheyrelate

tootherschanges.Itisatimewhentheyas

adultsshouldthinkabouthowtheyrelatetoand

showproperrespectforpeers,howtheyrelate

tothechildrenandyoungadolescentsintheir

lives,andhowtheyrelatetotheirparentsand

showthemaffection.Forexample,whenIwasa

graduatestudentatSouthwesternBaptist

TheologicalSeminary,Ivisitedmyparentsafter

Ihadjustfinishedacourseincounseling.

DuringthecourseIhadcometorealizethatwhile

myworldwasexpandingandnewoptionswere

openingforme,myfather,whowasinhissixties,

wasseeinghisworldshrinkandhisoptions

narrow.Duringmyvisithome,myfatherandIhad

severalconversationsinwhichwediscussedthe

contentofmycourseandhowitappliedtoour

lives.Ifoundmyselfseeingmyfatherina

differentwayandrelatingtohimasafriendwhom

Icouldencourage.Iwasconsciouslyencouraging

themanwhoovertheyearshadencouragedme.I

wasrelatingtomyfatherinadifferentway.

Anotherchangeforcollegestudentsis

internalizingtheirreligiousfaith,their

values,andtheirmorals.Sincebirth,oneor

moreparentshavebeenmodelingforthemand

teachingthemcertainbeliefs,values,and

morals.Intheiradolescentyears,however,

thesemattersarequestionedandinsomecases

rebelledagainst.Now,asyoungadults,theyhave

theopportunitytodecideforthemselveswhat

beliefs,values,andmoralstheyaregoingto

acceptfortheirlives.Inthelatesixties,a

youngwomanfromabackgroundthatwasextremely

prejudicedagainstpeoplefromotherracescame

tocollegeconvincedthatherracewassuperior.

Shewasdistressedbecauseshehadbeenputinto

adormthathadpeoplefromavarietyofethnic

backgrounds.Overthenextfouryears,this

student,whoconsideredherselfintelligent,

foundherselfinclassesandsocialeventsin

whichpeopleofotherracesperformedaswellas

ormorecompetentlythanshedid.Asshefinished

hersenioryear,shehadgrowntorealizethat

peopleofotherraceswerenotonlyequaltoher

butwerepeoplewhocouldbeherfriendsandfrom

whomshecouldlearn.Thesereligious,moral,and

ethicalvaluesthataresetduringthecollege

yearsoftenlastalifetime.

Inadditiontoaffirmingpersonalvalues,

collegestudentsdevelopnewwaystoorganizeand

useknowledge.Thechallengesofacademiclife

notonlyintroducethemtonewknowledgebut

forcethemtoevaluatehowtheygather,process,

andapplyknowledgeintheirlives.Forsome,

thiswillbeapainfulexperience,butforall

itwillbeagrowingexperience.Onestudentwith

whomIhadworkedwentontobecomeanEnglish

teacher.Shesharedwithmehowherattitude

towardliteraturechangedduringhercollege

years."InhighschoolImadegoodgradesin

English,"sheobserved,"butthematerialmeant

verylittletome."Shethenwentontoexplain

howincollegeshecametorealizethat

literatureisoneofthebestwaystounderstand

aculture.Herwayoflearninghadchanged.All

studentsshouldbeawareofhowtheyreacttonew

knowledgeandnewwaysoflearning,howthey

processtheknowledgepresentedtothem,andhow

theyorganizethisknowledge.

Andlastofall,theseyoungadultsarebecoming

worldcitizens,arebecomingawarenotonlyof

othergroupsintheirownculturebutalsoof

peopleofothercultures.Astheymeetthese

peopleandinteractwiththem,theyfind

themselvesbeingintroducedtonewwaysoflife

andnewwaysofinterpretinglife.Astheydoso,

theygrowandbecomemorematurepeople.A

studentattendingacommunitycollegeinhishome

townexplainedhowasastudenthecametoknow

astudentfromaThirdWorldcountry—acountry

hehadnotevenheardofbefore.The

internationalstudent,whoexpectedtobe

appointedtoanimportantgovernmentalposition

whenhereturnedhome,hadabrotherwhotaught

lawatthemajoruniversityofhiscountry.The

Americanstudentandtheinternationalstudent

becameclosefriendsandspentmanyhourssharing

theirthoughtsanddreams.TheAmericanstudent

observed,"Becauseofou