Eric

Eric

“You wouldn’t believe this place,” he snorts. ….”They all scrap for the parking place closest to the boss. A regular pecking order. Same thing in meetings. Number three man needs to sit next to number two man; number two man has to sit next to number one man. It’s a crock” (Eric, p.41).

That’s Eric talking about his workplace to Daloz. Eric was an engineer when he entered into higher education. He wanted that “piece of paper” so he could ascend into upper management. Daloz met Eric several times at the workplace in order to mentor him, and to discuss the changes along his educational pathway. When we first meet Eric, he is asking Daloz what he should do for the Daniel Levinson (adult development theorist) presentation that Eric will do as his class project. Daloz described Eric’s office: “The walls are bare, beige, almost baleful; the table and chairs fit together with an engineered elegance. Through the glass partition behind Eric, I can see people moving about the office space in utter silence; businesslike, correct, and very, very careful” (Daloz, p. 35).

Daloz encouraged Eric to connect his studies and presentation to real life, but Eric was hesitant to reveal his inner world--- he didn’t want to “spill his guts out… at least not in public.” However, Eric’s growth will require new perspectives if he moves into management as he will be dealing more with people rather than diagrams and objects. Piling up “more education” (Daloz, p.85) was not the answer “he needed a richer education” (Daloz, p.85) which would prepare him for leadership. Interestingly, Levinson’s theory on adult male human development correlated with the changes that Eric experienced. According to the theory, thirty year old men move into more stable positions and begin to earn more money. You can find Levinson’s theory at the following site, and here also is a critique that his theory may apply to different economic times than these. Go ahead and click on the link –it is brief, concise, fun:

 http://humangrowth.tripod.com/id3.html

What I really loved about this section on Eric was his soul growth. He allowed himself to become more vulnerable as he reflected on his time in the woods. For many years, Eric had gone off to the woods for seasonal hunting treks. When he talked with Daloz about feeling authentic, Eric recognized that he felt closer to his true self on these outdoor journeys. While moving through his education, Eric briefly took a break to go hunting where he came across a deer on his path, and rather than shoot the dear, he paused, looked into the deer’s eyes, and had a transformative experience. “You know it’s funny. This fall, during hunting season—I almost always get my deer the first day—this fall I ran into a deer. It was a big buck, twelve-pointer. He stopped right in front of me. Not ten feet away. And we just looked at each other. Neither of us moved a muscle. We just stood there…. Finally, he just turned and walked into the bushes. I never even lifted my bow” (Eric, p. 40).

Daloz saw this as Eric’s ability to “respect another life” a quality that would be beneficial in his position as manager, and also the experience was transformational---“the delicate emergence of a new, more vulnerable Eric” (Daloz, p.85).

1.) What do you think about this word ---“transformational or transformative?”

2.) Have you had an experience in your educational journey that you would call transformative?”

3.) Levinson's Theory is more about developmental stages rather than transformational experience, although transformation could occur within the stages or in-between. What do you feel about Levinson's Theory of Human Adult Male Growth Stages:

http://humangrowth.tripod.com/id3.html

Thanks for stopping by, next time we will meet Emerald, and I will work towards a synthesis of the book and my own learning journey.

Happy reading and happy summer. Best--- Ann Courtney June 25, 2011

image from website:http://www.flickriver.com/photos/ronjbaer/2063614461/