Alan Reynolds

In the article “Three Elements of Self-Authorship,” Baxter Margolda identifies one of the main goals of the self-authorship approach as helping students detach from external expectations and instead identify and follow their “internal voice” (2008, p.269).  I investigate three questions.  The first, metaphysical: is there such a thing as an “internal voice”?  Certain postmodern and existentialist theories call this into question.  The second, epistemological: how do we arrive at accurate knowledge about it?  After all, what sounds like one’s “internal voice” may just be an echo of deeply internalized social expectations.  The third, ethical: should this be the goal of advising?  Arguably this goal is overly individualistic and may not be beneficial to the student.