The role of “responsiveness” within the self in transitions to university

Abstract

Entering university is a complex psychosocial phenomenon that can create several new stressful situations that students need to face. The transition into university may be accompanied by some psychosocial problems such as reduced self-esteem and academic achievement, increased social anxiety, and a critical rise in the probability of dropout. How does a person use cultural elements to cope with stress? Responding to this question requires an understanding of the multivocal and ambivalent self. The paper aims at introducing and discussing the concept of Educational Self and the role of the responsiveness for explaining the complexity of the transition to a new educational context in Cultural Psychology perspective. The notion of responsiveness plays a crucial role in the “reconfiguration” of the multivocal and ambivalent self in transition.