ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the formation of developmental trajectories during university studies and centers on the microgenetic processes at the intra-psychological level that shape the ontological trajectory of becoming a psychologist (or any other professional). It introduces the coordination of different sub-systems of the self (i.e., “I as person” <> “I as professional”) when solving professional dilemmas across the three years of studies in a bachelor's program (the nominal extent of this study program at the university). Based on the patterns of coordinating the relations between I-positions, three main trajectories of assuming a professional role were found: self-professionalizing, self-personalizing, and self-maintaining. Additionally, extracts from the students’ essays and their responses to follow-up questions are included in this chapter to provide information about how the students construed their relations with the field of psychology. The essays retrospectively revealed how the students construed their pre-studies period as a time that triggered their decision to study psychology. Their responses to the follow-up questions after obtaining the bachelor's degree revealed the students’ diverging professional pathways and their reflections on how studying psychology has affected their lives.
