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Meaning, Internalization, and Externalization

Toward a Fuller Understanding of the Process of Reflection and Its Role in the Construction of the Self

Oxford University

The study of the process of reflection has a dignified history. However, few have linked reflection to the development of the self in such a way that the form of reflection is understood to influence the resultant type of self. This article explores the process of reflection using a framework of meaning making, internalization, and externalization to argue that reflection directly impacts on the development of the self. It draws links between the Western emphasis on critical reflection and the autonomous, independent self typical of Western cultures, and turns to the field of adult Christian, or religious, education to identify two alternative forms of reflection as well as types of self. It proposes a working model of the process of reflection in which the self is seen to be formed by both internalization and externalization and the way in which reflection takes place.

Key Words: reflection • meaning • internalization • externalization • self • experiential learning

This version was published on August 1, 2009

Adult Education Quarterly, Vol. 59, No. 4, 279-297 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0741713609331478


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