ABSTRACT
It is crucial to recognize that though cognitive and identity development is at times considered separate concepts and processes, they are lived holistically. Harkening back to earlier theorists, Baxter Magolda lamented the failure of some theorists to recognize the intersections of intellect, identity, and social relations. According to Jones and Abes, identity is produced by cultures and in interaction with the social world and it is always in process, unstable, and fragmented. Many definitions of social identities emphasize the human construction of groups. Additionally, Jones and Abes wrote that 'social identities are influenced by social constructions that emerge from structures of privilege and oppression'. In writing about women Student Veterans and Service Members (SVSM), Baechtold and DeSawal claimed that an identity crisis occurs when the military occupation is removed and a new vocation must be found. Women must construct a new identity that is specifically related to gender in order to make meaning of the college environment.
