Current Undergraduate Student Interview
During the studying process in college or university, a student not only gains professional knowledge, but they also acquire the experience of interaction, integration, and social development. For about decades colleges and campuses became an essential setting to apply and research the developmental theories from psychology and sociology. (Reis, n.d) For that reason, I conducted an interview with a Turkish-born student Anur Chanakoglu to observe and examine the influence of his background and circumstances on his personality.
He graduated from the school in Istanbul and decided to look for better education abroad. He, first, concentrated on the educational institutions in Germany. Anur made it clear to realize that his choice was based on a stable and broad Turkish community in Germany, so it would help him to feel welcomed and integrate into the way of living better and faster. He also applied for the studying in the USA and shortly after was accepted. Anur explained his fear and confusion of being a Muslim and pursuing the life in states as a quite challenging decision. It was a strong determination to give it a try, so he moved to the US to study.
From the Anur's story, I realized that he was confused and at some point embarrassed of his origin, so it caused a certain isolation. He concentrated on his studying and academic results and did not try to make friends, until one day he met an Israeli girl, who was quite open-minded about cultural and racial differences. As a result, he overcame himself and set his personal priorities about who he was and what kind of person he wanted to be. This incident and his story were an actual example of the Erik Erikson's stage of development "Identity vs. Role Confusion". (Erikson, 1950) Anur has experienced an uncertainty about his role in life and tried to determine his identity and his direction in life. As a successful outcome, he acquired a sense of identity and started to implement the cultural peculiarities of American life to his perception of traditions and habits. He was enclosed and shy in the beginning, but he comprehended the entity of his stage in life and changed the attitudes. It helped him to integrate into the social community.
The communication, interaction, and cooperation with other student helped Anur to understand what is important to him and become more flexible and less uptight. He participated in several art projects and started to play in a local band. It was a surprise to Anur, that he has much more in common with the American student than with his Turkish friends. He found people with the same taste in music and films, so he could relate to this group of friends and become freer. He happened to be more independent from the social rules and limitations he got used to and it influenced his perception of life. The changes in Anur's life reflected the "Postconventional Level" of development offered by Kohlberg, …
