Conference Agenda

What does it mean to hold master's degrees in two fields within one's professional career development from a view of DST? This presentation attempts to explain as a case study a transformative dialogical self within an individual who took graduate education to hold two master's degrees in clinical psychology and language education. It was confirmed that this experience not only broadens one’s career possibilities but also enriches one’s life career like a lifework of life-long learning and creates complex and stable professional i-positions. This micro-view of transformation of dialogical self before and after graduate education must become crucial and indispensable resources for professional and social development in this changing world. This is because a dialogical self is embedded in society influenced by globalization and complex culture. In order to depict the whole picture of transformative dialogical self, it is important to see a case study from a meta-view of theoretical framework. In this presentation, the scope is expanded from a micro-view on DST to a macro-view on TLLT to understand the places where the dialogue occurs. TLLT (Triple-loop learning theory) is one that shows the places of the dialogue and the differences of the selves before and after graduate education by use of an axis of abstractive levels. The triple-loop learning model consists of three types of experiential learning cycles: the experience-based learning loop (E-loop), the scientific technology-based learning loop (T-loop), and the science-based learning loop (S-loop). In each loop, there are four learning stages: observation, reflection, action, and experience. Hopefully, this presentation will lead to a lively discussion among i-positions, I as a professional, I as an ordinary person, and I as a scientist.

In the career development system in the fourth industrial revolution, it must be crucial to raise awareness of importance of scientific knowledge for career development. However, Japanese organizations do not tend to accept Master’ and Doctors’ degrees for the certification of managerial positions. Japanese organizations put more value on performance based on empirical knowledge, rather than scientific knowledge. Therefore, theoretically if working adults improve their performance by use of scientific knowledge and show the performance stable and suitable, scientific knowledge may be expected by organizations in this highly technological society. As a result, their performance can be rated highly and then take a managerial position, hopefully.

With this problem awareness in mind, this presentation examines a professional who earned a master's degree, worked for ten years, and completed a doctoral degree. Using DS theory, I analyse what pursuing a doctorate means at mid-career, how doctoral expertise works in companies, and the tensions in balancing organisational and researcher roles. The analysis shows conflicts between professional and academic I-positions—competing time demands, different evaluation standards, integrating theory with practice—but also reveals opportunities for creating knowledge and developing professional identity. Based on this case, I discuss why expanding career options in mid-career matters for both keeping careers viable and building organisational knowledge.

Holding the formal title of psychologist brings inner dialogicality to navigate the responsibilities and challenges of adapting to this social role inside and outside professional settings. The transitionality between personal sphere and professional identifications is of interest. This presentation emphasizes the unique paths of adaptation to one’s professional Self through a longitudinal study of novice psychologists (cand. psych) moving through training towards becoming clinical psychologists (licensed). I am curious about the meaning of the spaces - and accelerations in the transitions and constant movements in between personal -- professional, and have interest in discussing the ongoing transience in some of these transitions, as a key competence in the mind of the professional psychologist.