1. Schlossberg’s Transition Theory
Sarah Boeckmann Rashad Morgan Lauren Richards EDH5045 – Group 8
Schlossberg’s Transition Theory

2. Schlossberg’s Transition Model
“A framework created to connect adults to the help needed to cope with the ordinary and extraordinary process of living” (Evans, et al., 213).
Transition
Any event or non-event, that results in changed relationships, routines, assumptions and roles (Evans, et al., 215).
Types of events
Anticipated - occur predictably
Unanticipated - not predictable or scheduled
Nonevents - expected to occur, but do not
As we know from class discussion, Schlossberg’s theory is typically categorized as a theory of adult development, but also very much applies to college student development, and can be helpful in understanding how student cope with change and impactful events. It was created out of the need to understand and aid adults in the transitions that happen throughout life. Schlossberg believed transitions provided opportunities for growth and development, but a positive outcome for the individual cannot always be assumed.
As it states in our text, Student Development in College by Evans et al, Schlossberg began to describe her earliest theory as a vehicle for analyzing human adaption to transition. Her later theory was revised to incorporate critical feedback, and the model was reconceptualized to include dealing with “response to transition” since adaptation may not always be achieved. More can be learned about her 1984 theory by reading book, Counseling Adults in Transition.
This theory has grown and changed several times over the course time. Another modification was made in 1995 by presenting transition as a process with three components, and a revision of the book was published the same year. Finally, in 2006, a 3rd and final revision of the book was published including other counseling models and related applications.
Our text defines a transition as any event, or non-event, that results in changed relationships, routines, assumptions, and roles. An event can look different ways: anticipated, unanticipated, or a non-event. If you think back to the examples from our readings this week, an anticipated event is described as a change that happens that was predicted or expected to happen, but still carries a great impact. An example of an anticipated event is graduating from college. An unanticipated event may be a change that was not predicted, such as a divorce or a death. A non-event is a change that is desired and anticipated but that does not happen, such as expecting to be accepted into medical school, and then it not happening.
The role of perception through these events and transitions is great, as a transition only exists if it is defined by the individual experiencing it.

3. The Transition Process
The 4 S’s
Situation
Trigger, timing, assessment
Self
Personal and demographic characteristics
Psychological resources
Support
Intimate, family, friends, institutional
Strategies
Effective coping uses multiple coping methods
The transition process extends over time. The individual first moves from a preoccupation with the transition to an integration of the transition. The time needed to achieve successful integration varies with each person and transition. Transitions may lead to growth, but a decline is also a possible outcome. Schlossberg’s latest theory uses the phrases “moving in”, “moving through”, and “moving out” to describe the phases of transition as a person is going through it.
The latest Schlossberg theory also presented four major sets of factors that influence one’s ability to cope with a transition. The four S’s are situation, self, support and strategies. The individual’s effectiveness in coping with transition depends on his or her resources in these four areas.
Situation –
trigger – what precipitated the transition?
timing – “on time” or “off time”? Good or bad timing?
control – what is perceived to be within his or her control (the transition or just the reaction)
role change – is a role change involved?
duration – permanent, temporary, or uncertain
previous experience – how did one cope prior?
concurrent stress – multiple stress sources?
assessment – who is responsible? How is one’s behavior affection by this perception?
Self –
personal and demographic characteristics – how an individual views life (socioeconomic status, gender, age, etc.)
psychological resources – aids to coping, optimism and self-efficacy, commitment and values, spirituality and resiliency
Support –
3 facets: types, functions, and measurement
social support: intimate relationships, family units, networks of friends, and institutions and communities
Strategies –
those that modify the situation
those that control the meaning of the problem
those that aid in managing the stress in the aftermath
4 coping modes: information seeking, direc action, inhibition of action, and intrapsychic behavior

4. We Are Marshall
Raise your hand if you have ever seen We Are Marshall. The movie takes place in 1970 at Marshall University in West Virginia after an away football. On their flight home, the players, coaches, and many boosters were all killed in a tragic plane crash.

5. Main Characters in We Are Marshall
Nate
Reggie
Briefly go over each character and the role they have in the movie.
After this slide, transition into clip number 1 – plane crash
Start clip one at 10:40 and end clip at 11:42
Restart at 12:48 and end at 15:50.
Preface the first clip by giving a background of the movie. This movie is based on true events from Marshall University located in West Virginia.
Annie
Tom
Coach Lengyel

6. Initial Transition - Plane Crash
Unanticipated
Not predicted or scheduled
Situation
Not considered “good timing”
Out of the control of those affected
Self
Effects everyone differently
Support
Friends and family, institutional
In order to take stock of the situation and the depth of the transitions involved, we will walk through the type of event and the 4 S’s.
The plane crash is the changing event in the lives of each of the characters. It was an unanticipated event, because it was not predicted or scheduled. The situation is not considered to be good timing, and is not in the control of those that are being affected. For self, everyone will handle the situation different, and will effect them differently based on their assets, and liabilities that could have an impact. Each character’s self-efficacy, religious beliefs, values and beliefs will lead them to handle this situation differently. The support system will be different for each character as well, but the friends and family of each character will determine how they cope through the tough transition. Institutional support is a huge form of support through this crash because the institution is so directly involved. Strategies and coping methods can’t quite be determined yet through the scene of the plane crash. Some affected will choose to control the meaning of the crash and others will choose to simply manage the stress of the crash’s aftermath. Different coping modes will be displayed as well.
Prepare for clip 2 – Begin clip at 23:07 and end clip at 28:09.
Clip Intro - University administrators discuss with Nate that they’re planning to suspend the football program, as it takes years to build a strong football team and program. Next you’ll see Tom and Nate discussing the rebuilding of the team. In this clip you’ll notice that many of the characters are beginning the “moving in” phase. Each character has a different perception of the event at this time, and some begin with coping strategies while others are still simply managing the stress of the aftermath. You’ll see Nate take the lead and begin to take action, but pay close attention to how Annie and Tom react to the efforts.

7. Positive and Negative Unanticipated Event Transition Growth and Coping Methods
Growth through transition
“Moving-in” phase
Evaluating the situation
Positive for Nate
Sees the situation as something that he can control
Reaches out to freshmen players to grow his support group
Negative for Tom
Realizes he doesn’t want to play football
Agrees with administration
In the last clip, we see several different characters begin to play out their transitions. Nate, Tom, and Annie all begin the clip in the “moving-in” phase, but as the clip progresses, Nate begins to transition to the “moving-through” phase. He faces the reality of the situation and sees the situation as something that he now has control over, rather than only having control over his emotions. He can’t control the situation that has already happened, but he can now control his reaction to it and the university’s reaction to the crash. Nate’s personality and determined nature affects how he views his life after the crash, and determine his resiliency through the situation. He doesn’t have much support from anyone at the beginning of the scene, so he creates his own form of support through the freshmen football team and then other college students. Nate’s current coping method is that of direct action. He saw the problem and an opportunity to move in a positive direction. Overall, the transition for Nate so far has been a positive transition because he is taking steps to move through toward the “moving-out” phase.
Tom however evaluates the situation and still does not see any control, therefore, it is still very much a negative transition for him. He likely sees the stress of the situation as too great to begin the “moving-through” process. His current strategy and coping method is inhibition of action because he does not agree with the action being taken by his teammate Nate. When evaluating Tom’s self, his outlook and optimism are the opposite of Nate’s.
Prepare for clip 3 – begin at 47:46 and end clip at 49:30.
In the time between the last clip and the next one, the president of the university works to find a new football coach for the team. It is a long and rigorous process for him, and ultimately gets an inquiry about the job from someone who is interested after calling numerous coaches and being turned down by all of them. This is a great example of institutional support for the football players. Pay close attention to how Nate and Tom’s reaction to the news of a coach is different.

8. Negative Nonevent
Tom should’ve been at the game and on the plane but he wasn’t – resulting in a nonevent.
Strategies
How is he coping with this?
Negative
Tom has fallen to self-defeated thinking. He is not going back to team, even though Nate is giving him the support he needs.
In this clip we see Tom begin to move into the “moving-through” phase of transition, as he reveals another layer to his transition. Not only is he now battling with the loss of his teammates, but he is trying to transition from a nonevent that happened within the plane crash. **Ask what coping strategies Tom is using to get through. His coping methods still seem to be inhibition of action.
Prepare for clip 4 – begin clip at 1:09:05 and end clip at 1:12:03.
In the next clip, we are going to see Reggie, who was the freshman football player who was close with many of the older members of the team. At the beginning of the movie, he was called by his teammates and told to get a case of Fall City beer, just before the players boarded the plane that would crash. The movie earlier shows Reggie bringing the case of beer back to his now empty dorm room where his roommates would have been. Once the football team is built back up, new roommates move in but the case of beer remains untouched. Watch what happens in the next scene.

9. Unanticipated/Positive Event
Reggie didn’t expect to be able to move forward or accept his new roommates and teammates.
Phase
Moving-through and moving-out
How does Reggie’s transition phase compare with Nate’s?
Coping
Reggie is moving on by taking direct action. He is becoming friends with the other football team members, and allows them to physically and symbolically take the place of his old friends.
The past clip was an example of another unanticipated event, yet this event had a positive impact. Reggie was not expecting to replace his friends that died, but began moving from the moving-through phase to the moving-out phase as he became closer teammates and friends with them, taking part in activities that resemble his way of life before the big transition.
Reggie is taking direct action by physically accepting the new football players. At the end of the clip, we see Nate begin to back away and revert to a stage that he seemed to surpass already. This can happen when the support changes. In the first clip we saw of him rallying students from all over campus, he was moving-through because of his institutional and peer support. As that support has faded, he is back to the moving-in phase and is looking at the situational factors differently.
Begin clip 5 at 1:15:03 and end at 1:15:56.
The next clip will show more forms of support from an institutional perspective, and will bring Tom and Annie back into the picture.

10. Anticipated/Negative Event
The community members were aware that the team was going to play, but it didn’t change the feelings or the outcome behind the event.
Tom and Annie are still in the moving-in phase.
The team badly loses the game and it reminds the community and the players about the terrible crash that caused all of these transitions.
In the clip we just watched, you see Tom and Annie still struggling to move forward from the events and participate in what used to be their normal lives. Tom decided not to go back to playing football, and Annie did not return to cheerleading. Neither of them wanted to go to the game to watch, but are both listening as a small way of coping with their transition. The strategy that they are both using is modifying the situation. Changing the circumstances is one way to move forward and begin the moving-through stage.

11. Integrating Helpers to Assist Transitions
In integrating the transition model with the Cormier and Hackney (1993) counseling model, Schlossberg’s theory provided a useful vehicle for identifying effective actions that can be taken to support individuals in transition.
1. Relationship building
2. Assessment
3. Goal setting
4. Interventions
5. Termination and follow-up
As student affairs professionals, we should provide a structure for self assessment for individuals experiencing transitions. These helpers can also be organization officers, resident assistants, and other student leaders that can work to assist their peers as well as general student audiences.
In relationship building, helpers use basic listening skills. In assessment, the second stage, areas to assess include the individual’s environment, internal resources, external resources, and current coping skills. In stage 3, goal setting, individuals may find it helpful to set goals related to each of the 4 S’s. In interventions, the helper could help to reframe the individual’s interpretation of the meaning of the situation. In follow-up, the helper can aid the individual in reviewing what has happened so far and planning next steps.
Prepare clip 6 – begin at 1:26:33 and end clip at 1:28:42. Watch in the next clip how Coach Lengyle takes on the role of a helper.

12. Integrating Helpers to Assist Transitions
Nate is in denial that he is hurt, and is still moving through his transition.
Coach Lengyle has been a support system for him from the very beginning, particularly through this intervention.
How can Coach Lengyle help Nate move from moving-through his transition to moving-out of his transition? How can he demonstrate termination and follow-up?
Earlier in the movie, in clips that we didn’t have time to show, Coach Lengyle works to create a relationship with Nate, which is step one of helping to assist the transition. He takes the time to get to know the players, and assesses their environment and the situation that they are in. As a way of goal setting, Coach makes Nate the captain of the team and together their united goal is to create a football team, and then play together as a normal team during the year. This scene was an example of an intervention with Nate. He helps Nate to see the reframe the situation and change Nate’s perception of the situation by telling him that the team didn’t leave him the team in his hands and that he shouldn’t feel responsible for their wins.
Prepare next clip at 1:49:10 and end at 1:50:40.
The next clip shows Nate’s determination for his teammates and his transition through the final stage of Schlossberg’s theory.

13. Transitioning to Moving-Out
Nate thought he would be able to play, but it turns out that he can’t, which results in a nonevent.
Even with the nonevent, Nate was able to accept the transition rather quickly because of the immediate support from his coach.
In regards to self, he was more adjusted to nonevent and unanticipated transitions, and was able to handle the change more intentionally.
Nate is moving through his final transition stages and is becoming accepting of the events from the past while adjusting more quickly to the transitions in the present and future.
Prepare final clip starting at 1:57:30 and ending at 1:59:50.

14. Transitioning to Moving-Out
“Goodman et al. (2006) stressed the role of perception in transitions” (Evans, et al., 215).
Tom comes to the football game and joins the team on the field after the win.
Nate is happy and content even though he wasn’t able to play the second half of the football game.
Annie had plans before the crash to move to California with her fiancé, but stayed behind after the crash. At the end of the movie she is driving away during the football game because she decided to move on with her life and move to California and start a new life.
Just as was mentioned in the latest edition of Schlossberg’s theory, it is imperative to stress the role of perception in transitions. Each character’s transition looked very different. Each used different coping methods, and each reached the “moving-out” phase at different times. *Reiterate the transitions of each of the 4 main college characters.

15. References
Evans, N.J., et al. (2010). Student development in college. San Fransisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

16. Questions?