| The purpose of this grounded theory inquiry was to explore the process of White men's ally identity development. Conducted from a social constructivist epistemological paradigm, and informed by a constructivist grounded theory methodology, the following research questions guided this study: (a) how do White male allies come to understand themselves as allies; and (b) what are the critical influences on this process? I conducted interviews with ten students from a small private Ohio university.;The theory that emerged from this study is grounded in the co-researchers' experience. My ally identity theory follows White men as they are challenged in their personal understanding of fairness in the world, Recognizing Oppression and Experiencing Tension. Faced with conflict from an outside source that challenges their belief in a fair world they begin to work to ease other's suffering, in order to contribute to the fairness of the world, Triggering Compassion and Acting as an Ally. Within this work, they come to understand systems of privilege, and at some limited level, their personal relationship with privilege and its connections to oppression, Naming and Owning Privilege. By working as an ally, they alienate themselves from other privileged groups, yet remain non-group members of oppressed groups. By labeling themselves as ally, they create an identity that they hope will communicate support for target groups and set them apart from non-allies, as well as possibly separating them from other non-ally White men, Creating an Ally Identity. The ally identity also allows these men to find a common space with other allies like them, Claiming a Shared Identity. Finally allies wrestle with the conflicting spaces created by claiming an ally identity, Managing Ongoing Tension.;This theory of White male student's ally identity development has implications relevant to theory development, research, student affairs practice, and social justice allies. |
