Identity Development of College Students - Advancing Frameworks for Multiple Dimensions of Identity

This book describes contemporary perspectives on the identity development of college students in the U.S. with an emphasis on multiple social identities. The book traces the evolution of the study of identity in relation to contemporary research and theoretical frameworks. These contemporary perspectives are situated within a holistic description of identity that portrays identity as the intersection of context, personal characteristics, and social identities. It explores the nature of context, including inequitable power structures, and how context influences and is influenced by multiple social identities. The authors use research on multiple identities as a springboard, including using critical theoretical frameworks to analyze these relationships, such as intersectionality, critical race theory, and queer theory. 


Susan R. Jones is an associate professor and section head in the Higher Education and Student Affairs Program at The Ohio State University. She was among the first researchers to look at multiple dimensions of identity in the student development research field and is the originator of the Model of Multiple Dimensions of Identity.
Elisa S. Abes is an associate professor of student affairs in higher education at Miami University in Ohio. She teaches student development theory courses with an emphasis on identity development and is the originator of the Reconceptualized Model of Multiple Dimensions of Identity.