Chapter 4 The Formulation of Engineering Identities: Storytelling as Philosophical Inquiry

 Part I Reflections on Practice

Abstract

Professionals in the early stages of their careers not only develop knowledge and skills but also seek to establish their suitability for their chosen profession. This involves a process of identity formation, where individuals classify themselves and others to understand their own professional identity. A key method for making sense of one's professional experiences is through the creation of a personal narrative. This self-reflective process uses both personal and social information to construct a coherent self-image, akin to philosophical inquiry, which aims to create an orderly and coherent understanding of the world.

4.1 Introduction

The concept of identity is central to understanding why people behave as they do. Personal identity, as defined in psychology, is an internal view of oneself that is relational and self-referential. Social psychology and sociology view social identity as a group characteristic adopted by its members, influencing their behavior. Identity, whether personal or social, is often constructed in the form of a narrative, helping individuals understand their place in society.

This chapter reviews the development of professional identities (a type of social identity) and how narratives are used to shape and represent them. It discusses the concept of identity as a social construction and the role of narratives in forming identity. The chapter refers to a study where nearly 120 new engineers were interviewed to understand their perceptions of being an engineer. These interviews were transcribed and analyzed to explore how these engineers construct their professional identities. The chapter concludes with reflections on the importance of identity development and narrative construction for engineers in the early stages of their careers.

4.2 Conceptualizing Identity

Identity, a concept used across various disciplines, can be defined in numerous ways, focusing on psychological orientation, role in interactions, or social affiliation. It is a key aspect of becoming a professional, involving internalizing characteristics of a profession.

Identity is based on the ability for self-reflection, seeing oneself as separate from others. William James described the self as having multiple facets, including material, social, spiritual selves, and the Ego. He emphasized that our identity is shaped by our experiences and perceptions of these various selves.

Jan Stets and Peter Burke proposed an integrated view of identity, arguing that personal and social identities are not fundamentally different but vary in emphasis. Identity is seen as a continuum, with personal identity at one end and social identity at the other, influenced by context and focus.

Edward Sapir suggested that categorizing phenomena as individual or social depends on the observer's perspective. Social identity theorists emphasize the social environment's role in shaping group-oriented perceptions.

Richard Jenkins viewed identity as a dynamic process, with a stable core (personal identity) and changeable elements (social identities). This view supports the idea that identity, including professional identity, is complex and context-dependent, influenced by a mix of contextual, social, and personal factors.

4.2.1 Self-categorization

John Turner and Rina Onorato's theory of self-categorization explains how individuals develop social identities by joining groups. Joining a group depends on personal readiness, perceived fit, and the group's openness to new members. Professional groups, in particular, have expectations for new members to adopt their norms and align with their ideals.

Group identification offers a sense of pride, involvement, stability, and meaning, often having a stronger influence than personal identity. This leads to a tendency for individuals to conform to group norms.

Transitioning from personal to social identity involves depersonalization, not in a negative sense, but as gaining an additional identity that enhances self-esteem. Social identity simplifies cognitive processes through categorization and stereotyping. However, this can also lead to rigidity, conflict, and prejudice, as individuals often favor their own group and discriminate against outsiders. The pervasive nature of categorization in society underscores the significance of group membership.

4.2.2 Limitations of Identity Theory

Identity theory, while useful for understanding the influence of groups, faces debates and questions about its nature, location, and significance. Firstly, defining identity is challenging due to its varied interpretations across disciplines: anthropologists view it as a cultural artifact, sociologists as a set of social roles, and psychologists as a set of norms. These differences indicate the concept's importance but also create semantic confusion.

Secondly, the debate about where identity exists is influenced by disciplinary biases. Is it an individual characteristic, or does it emerge from the group as a collective phenomenon? Some theories place social identity within individuals, while others see it as a supra-individual group entity. Etienne Wenger argues that the interaction between individual and group is more crucial than locating identity in one or the other.

Another issue with identity theory is its limited predictive power. It can explain past behaviors in social contexts but struggles to predict future actions. This challenge is not unique to social identity theory but is common in the social sciences.

Overall, while identity is a valuable concept for understanding how individuals relate to social groups, the discussions and methods of analysis, such as narrative construction, rely on complex and often debated epistemological and ontological assumptions.

4.3 Narratives Representing a Process of Philosophical Reasoning in the Formulation of Identities

Philosophy helps us understand our universe and place within it, often addressing 'big questions' that science cannot answer. This philosophical inquiry aids in making sense of our complex experiences and forms the basis of our worldview and belief systems.

Philosophical reasoning aims to create a coherent understanding of reality by systematically organizing available data, which includes facts from science, historical lessons, common sense beliefs, and cultural wisdom. However, due to cognitive limitations and data constraints, this process can only strive for the best available understanding rather than an absolute truth.

Reflective thinking is used to build coherent belief systems that give meaning to our lives and help shape our identities. Nicholas Rescher suggests that philosophical reasoning addresses informative, practical, and evaluative questions, moving from doubt to belief or knowledge. John Dewey emphasized that rational or logical processes become such over time and through habit.

People often construct their belief systems in the form of narratives or stories, which express their sense of self and make sense of their chaotic experiences. These life stories, shaped by individual and cultural factors, aim for coherence and logic that align with cultural norms.

Narratives are not just personal reflections; they also function as communicative tools to express and negotiate one’s identity with others. Joining a group often involves aligning with its 'master narrative,' reflecting shared values and beliefs. Thus, the construction of narratives is an integral part of forming and communicating our professional and social identities.

4.4 Formulating an Engineering Identity: Adopting the ‘Master Narrative’

For early career engineers, developing a professional identity is a narrative process that involves rational reflection on their role as novice engineers. This process involves reconciling the technical and social aspects of engineering, as highlighted by Larry Bucciarelli, who notes that engineering work requires navigating both an object world (based on scientific principles) and a social world (focused on communication and consensus).

These engineers often struggle with the tension between the technical and social worlds, with some preferring to focus on the technical aspects, while others aim to synthesize both. This struggle is evident in their narratives, which reflect how they view themselves within the engineering profession.

The typical engineering education model is criticized for overemphasizing the natural scientific perspective and neglecting the social scientific perspective. However, engineers in practice often recount the dominance of social influences on their work.

Through their narratives, new engineers transform a disorganized set of experiences into a coherent series of events. These stories not only make sense of the past and present but also construct plausible futures. Narratives often describe the journey from feeling like an outsider to becoming an insider within a professional group.

The following statement reported by an early career engineer shows that individuals not only make sense of the past and present but construct plausible futures with which they identify as well.

I guess eventually I have to figure out a personality, which basically represents [ company ], it’s like—yeah, this is a [ company ] person. He is talking like a [ company ] person. This is probably where I need to get at. I’m not sure. That’s what I figured out. It’s like—okay what is a typical [ company ] person? Even if somebody is really doing really, really great, what is different about that person? I don’t think it’s the technical expertise. It’s more than that or it’s something else. Actually, I take this as a challenge for me, because I know there are a lot of things at stake.

Another example told the story of the move from outsider (a contract person) to insider (a company employee) and the change in identity entailed in that move.

Well, when I started as a contract engineer, you know, your badge is different, it’s yellow, I don’t know why they chose yellow, but... I always felt like an outsider. ... Nobody ever said that to me—well, you’re an outsider or whatever. But carrying the yellow badge, everybody else has got a blue badge, you definitely felt outside. I think it’s supposed to be that way. I remember that as soon as I got the blue badge [ company badge ] we were in a meeting with one of the guys from advanced development, a big scientific person there, and I was expressing an opinion. When I stood up, he said—oh, you’re an employee now. So I don’t know if he was filtering that through something, like—here’s the contract guys from outside. ... When I was a contractor I felt sometimes like people thought I was a salesman for the software, that there are competing products in this industry. And so when I presented results, you know, and there a was a question on those results when I had the yellow badge sometimes I felt like a salesman, like, you know—our product, this is... I have to uphold the integrity of the product. Whereas now I use a variety of tools and nobody ever—I don’t think anybody ever questions unless they have some preconceived idea about which one’s better. I don’t feel like I have to be a salesman, I just have to do what I’m supposed to do. That’s all contract stuff and that’s all behind, but I was never made to feel overtly like I’m second-class. I think it was just more—I got the yellow badge [ contractor badge ] and so I’m different. I mean that’s probably just all personal.

The social environments from which new engineers draw their data heavily influence the series of events that describe and connect these stories. Their backgrounds prepared them to reasonably interpret technical data, but they found it more difficult to integrate the social data from their experiences. In fact, some stated that they had learned to be suspicious of social data suspecting that it was invalid and irrational—it was ‘noise’ in the system.

In construction, you always have the contractor thats going to yell at you, but it’s never personal. You know, it’s like, don’t yell at me. I don’t care, you know. Yelling at me is not going to solve the problem. Come on, get past the yelling. OK, we’re past the yelling. Good job.

These narratives are shaped by the social environments of the engineers, influencing how they perceive and integrate technical and social data. Some engineers learn to view social interactions as interference, reflecting a logico-scientific view prevalent in engineering.

In essence, creating a coherent professional identity involves reconciling the complex and sometimes conflicting realities of the profession. This process is facilitated by reasoning through the inconsistencies encountered in professional experiences, leading to an integrated view of social reality that combines institutional and brute facts. This synthesis shapes engineers' views of reality, their identities, and how they make sense of their lives.

4.5 Conclusions

The narrative perspective is key in understanding how people interpret and comprehend the world, including engineers interpreting their professional experiences. Narratives offer insight into how engineers make sense of their lives and work, guiding their identities and future actions. For new engineers, narratives often start with a focus on the technical aspects of their work but gradually encompass social dynamics and broader organizational, industrial, and societal influences. This expansion redefines their understanding of what it means to be an engineer, showing a progression from a purely scientific paradigm to a more socially integrated view of engineering.

The development of coherent and logical narratives is crucial in shaping well-rounded professionals. Approaching engineering and engineering education from a narrative perspective enhances our understanding of the profession and helps refine educational practices. It emphasizes that language, not just mathematics, plays a vital role in engineering. The philosophy of language suggests that language influences thought, impacting our views on science and our personal and professional identities.

Incorporating more social aspects into engineering education faces paradigmatic challenges that often downplay social and linguistic factors. However, insights from linguistics, philosophy, and narrative analysis indicate that focusing on narrative development in engineering education will better equip students for their professional lives, acknowledging the significant role language and narratives play in shaping their professional identity and worldview.