This presentation was given in Fall 2014 by Emily McClaine as a part of our College Student Development course. Check out Emily's website here: http://empoweredwithemily.weebly.com/

1. SCHLOSSBERG’S
TRANSITION THEORY
Presented by Emily (Lamielle) McClaine
October 15, 2014 | Kent State University
HIED 66653 | Dr. Tracy Lara

2. OUTLINE
• Biographical Information
• First Edition of the Transition Theory
• Foundational Views
• Definitions of Terms
• Model of Transition
• Revised Editions of the Transition Theory
• The Transition Model
• The Transition Process
• The 4S Model
• Supportive Articles & Research
• A Critique: Strengths & Weaknesses

3. “
”
Nancy K. Schlossberg is an expert in the areas of
adult transitions, retirement, career development,
adults as learners, and intergenerational
relationships.
(Schlossberg, 2014)

4. WHO IS SCHLOSSBERG?
• Earned a Doctor of Education degree in Counseling at the Teachers College
of Columbia University.
• Served as a faculty member at Wayne State University, Howard University,
Pratt Institute, and most recently the University of Maryland.
• Named Professor Emerita at the University of Maryland in the Department of
Counseling and Personal Services, College of Education and Director of the
Center of Human Services Development.
• Held other titles, such as: President of the National Career Development
Association, first woman executive at the American Council of Education
(ACE), and Senior Fellow at ACE’s Center on Adult Learning.
• Credited for establishing the Office of Women in Higher Education in 1973.
• Gave more than 100 keynote addresses to various associations and
audiences.
• Currently serves as Co-President at TransitionWorks, a consulting firm.
• Visit her blog, Transitions Through Life, at: www.transitionsthroughlife.com.
(Anderson et al., 2012; Schlossberg, 2008; Schlossberg, 2014)
Photo Credit: (Schlossberg, 2014)

5. AWARDS & PRESSAwards
• Recognized by American Psychological
Association and American Counseling
Association for numerous achievements.
• Named one of University of Maryland’s
Women of Distinction.
• Received Walter Storey Career Development
Professional Award of the American Society for
Training and Development.
• Named APA’s G. Stanley Hall Lecturer on
Adult Development.
• Named Distinguished Scholar at the University
of Maryland.
• Received awards from The National Career
Development Association, National
Association of Student Personnel
Administrators, and American College
Personnel Association.
Press
• Her work appeared in USA Today, New York
Times, St. Petersburg Times, Wall Street Journal,
Cleveland's Plain Dealer, Reader’s Digest,
Family Circle, Better Homes and Gardens, and
U.S. News and World Reports.
• She has appeared on PBS’s In the Prime, CBS
Evening News and CBS This Morning.
• Her book Retire Smart, Retire Happy was also
the focus of a 90-minute PBS Pledge Special in
June 2007.
(Anderson et al., 2012; Schlossberg, 2008; Schlossberg, 2014)

6. SCHLOSSBERG’S PUBLICATIONS
• Revitalizing Retirement: Reshaping Your Identity, Relationships, and Purpose
• Overwhelmed: Coping with Life’s Ups and Downs (Two editions)
• Retire Smart, Retire Happy: Finding Your True Path
• Getting the Most Out of College (with Arthur Chickering)
• Counseling Adults in Transition (Four editions with additional authors)
• Going to Plan B: How You Can Cope, Regroup, and Start Your Life on a New
Path (with Susan P. Robinson)
• Improving Higher Education Environments for Adults
• Perspectives on Counseling Adults
(Anderson et al., 2012; Schlossberg, 2008; Schlossberg, 2014)

7. “
”
But what exactly accounts for such differences
between individuals and within the same person at
different times in life? What determines whether a
person grows or deteriorates as the result of a
transition? Why do some people adapt with relative
ease while others suffer severe strain?
To address these questions, Schlossberg proposed a model to guide us in
understanding and helping adults as they face transitions.
(Schlossberg, 1981, p.3)

8. FOUNDATIONS
• While Schlossberg’s
theory lacks actual
research, she bases
her theory on
empirical evidences
and theory of others.
• Transitions as they
relate: the individual,
life span, stage and
age.
(Schlossberg, 1981)
Image Credit: Figure 1 – A continuum of views (Schlossberg, 1981, p.3)

9. DEFINITIONS OF ORIGINAL TERMS
• Transition: A transition can be said to occur if an event or nonevent results in
change in assumptions about oneself and the world and thus requires a
corresponding change in one’s behavior and relationships.
• Positive or negative.
• Emphasis on the individual’s perception of change.
• Adaptation to transition: A process during which an individual moves from
being totally preoccupied with the transition to integrating the transition into
his or her life.
(Schlossberg, 1981)

10. A MODEL
FOR
ANALYZING
HUMAN
ADAPTATION
TO
TRANSITION
(Schlossberg, 1981)
Image Credit: Figure 2 – A model for analyzing human adaptation to transition (Schlossberg, 1981, p.5)

11. COUNSELING ADULTS IN TRANSITION
Revisions
• First Edition, 1984
• Second Edition, 1995
• Third Edition, 2006
• Fourth Edition, 2012
What Changed?
• Book-length publication with three
parts.
• A transition model is developed in
three parts.
• New definitions of terms.
• Integrative Model of the Transition
Process is provided.
• The 4S Model is created.
• Several chapters are composed to
offer extensive detail and examples.
(Anderson et al., 2012)

12. THE TRANSITION MODEL
Part I:
What Do We Need to Know?
Approaching Transitions
Taking Stock
Taking Charge
(Anderson et al., 2012)
Image Credit: Figure 2.1 – The individual in transition (Anderson et al., 2012, p.39)

13. APPROACHING TRANSITIONS
• Identification of the transition – what change is impending?
• “Reactions to any transition change over time, depending on whether one is
moving in, through or out of the transition” (Anderson et al., 2012, p. 38).
• Definitions
• Type
• Context
• Impact
(Anderson et al., 2012)

14. TYPES OF TRANSITIONS
• Anticipated Transitions: Expected and/or predicted events. Role rehearsal
may ease an anticipated transition.
• Unanticipated Transitions: Nonscheduled and/or unpredictable events. Lack
of time to prepare and rushed decision making can complicate these
transitions.
• Nonevent Transitions: Expected by the individual in transition, but do not
occur.
• Significance of Perspective: As in Schlossberg’s original definition, the type of
transitions are determined by the individual who is in transition.
(Anderson et al., 2012)

15. CONTEXT OF TRANSITIONS
• What factors influence individuals’ lives?
• Gender
• Socioeconomic Status
• Ethnicity
• Geographical Location
• Generational Influences
• How does the individual relate to the transition?
• Personal/ Interpersonal
• Private/ Public
• Role of the individual in transition
(Anderson et al., 2012)

16. IMPACT OF TRANSITIONS
• How does the transition change the individual’s daily life?
• How does the individual in transition perceive the context of the transition?
• Assess how the transition impacts…
• Relationships.
• Routines.
• Assumptions.
• Roles.
• Example: Naomi’s story (Anderson et al., 2012, p. 47).
(Anderson et al., 2012)

17. TAKING STOCK: THE 4S MODEL
• Taking Stock of Coping
Resources
• The 4S Model
• Understanding the
factors that influence
transition and how one
copes with change.
(Anderson et al., 2012)
Image Credit: Figure 3.1 – Coping resources – the 4S’s (Anderson et al., 2012, p.62)

18. APPLICATION
• Part II: What Are We Likely to Hear?
• Emphasizes types of transitions.
• Works through the 4S Model with
these categories of transitions.
• Suggests issues related to these
transitions.
• What are the transitions?
• Individual Transitions
• Relationship Transitions
• Work Transitions
What transitions
are we likely to
hear about as
student affairs
practitioners?
(Anderson et al., 2012)

19. TAKING CHARGE
• Strengthening resources – trying new strategies.
• Part III: What Can We Do With What We Know and Hear?
• Individual Counseling
• Helping Clients Deal with Nonevent Transitions
• Group Counseling
• Consultation, Program Development and Advocacy
(Anderson et al., 2012)

20. INTEGRATIVE
MODEL
OF THE
TRANSITION
PROCESS
(Anderson et al., 2012)
Image Credit: Figure 2.2 – Integrative model of the transition process (Anderson et al., 2012, p.56)

21. What could a student affairs practitioner
have done to facilitate you moving in,
through and out of your transition?

22. SUPPORTIVE
ARTICLES & RESEARCH
• Corporate Career Services
• Adult Students and Academic Advising
• Retired University Faculty
• Adults and Withdrawing from Sports
• Retirement
• Adult Learners in College
(Bailey-Taylor, 2009; Goodman & Pappas, 2000; Leibowitz & Schlossberg, 1982; Sargent & Schlossberg, 1988; Schlossberg, 2011; Swain, 1991)

23. A CRITIQUE
Strengths
• Applicability
• Room for Revision
• Recent Editions
Criticisms
• Lack of Research
• Assessment
• Limited Scope on Adults

24. REFERENCES
• Anderson, M.L., Goodman, J., & Schlossberg, N.K. (2012). Counseling adults in transition: Linking Schlossberg’s
theory with practice in a diverse world (4th ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company, LLC.
• Bailey-Taylor, A. (2009). Advising adult students: Connecting Schlossberg’s transition theory to the appreciative
advising model. The Mentor. Retrieved from http://dus.psu.edu/mentor/old/articles/090708ab.htm
• Goodman, J., & Pappas, J.G. (2000). Applying the Schlossberg 4S transition model to retired university faculty:
Does it fit? Adultspan Journal, 2(1), 15–28. Retrieved from
http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/5406077/applying-schlossberg-4s-transition-model-retired-university-
faculty-does-fit
• Leibowitz, Z.B. & Schlossberg, N.K. (1982). Critical career transitions: A model for designing career services.
Training and Development Journal, 36(2), 12–19. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ257402
• Sargent, A.G. & Schlossberg, N.K. (1988). Managing adult transitions. Training and Development Journal, 41(12),
58–60. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ381396
• Schlossberg, N.K. (1981). A model for analyzing human adaptation to transition. The Counseling Psychologist, 9(2),
2–18. doi:10.1177/001100008100900202
• Schlossberg, N.K. (2008). Overwhelmed: Coping with life’s ups and downs (2nd ed.). Lanham, MD: M. Evans.
• Schlossberg, N.K. (2011). The challenge of change: the transition model and its applications. Journal of
Employment Counseling, 48(4), 159–162. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ948505
• Schlossberg, N.K. (2014). Transitions through life: How to survive according to Nancy K. Schlossberg. Retrieved
from http://www.transitionsthroughlife.com/
• Swain, D.A. (1991). Withdrawal from sport and Schlossberg’s model of transitions. Sociology of Sport Journal, 8(2),
152–160. Retrieved from http://journals.humankinetics.com/ssj-back-
issues/ssjvolume8issue2june/withdrawalfromsportandschlossbergsmodeloftransitions