The supervisor-trainee relationship: Complementarity and professional identity development in supervision dyads

The supervisor-trainee relationship: Complementarity and professional identity development in supervision dyads. Part A: Review of the literature . Becoming a professional is a complex, phenomenological, and evolutionary process. While numerous studies have gathered important information on the behaviors, attitudes, and preferences most likely to produce positive outcomes in professional skill development and problem-solving, the research has been inadequate regarding the development of professional identity—a sense of being a professional rather than doing professional work. Much like Erikson's (1950, 1968) adolescent ego-identity stage of psychosocial development with its conflict between separateness and connectedness, research has led me to believe that professional identity is the process of developing a personal professional model and style (separateness) and the integration of self within the standards and values of the profession (connectedness). The research on ego-identity formation suggests that the development of professional identity evolves from within the contextual synergy co-created by the interpersonal relationship between the supervisor and the trainee in which they attempt to integrate their individual characteristics in creating a mutually beneficial working alliance. The purpose of this study is to explore the existing research on the characteristics of the interpersonal relationship between the supervisor and the trainee as it impacts the trainee's level of professional identity.; A correlational study of supervision interpersonal relationship complementarity and the development of professional identity within the trainee. Part B: Research. The purpose of professional development, as defined by most models and theories, is to help the trainee learn professional skills, to solve problems within the social context of the professional group, and to develop a sense of professionalism. Researchers agree that the supervisor-trainee relationship is critical to the development process. Therefore we should study and understand the impact that interpersonal relationship variables have on professional development, including professional identity. In this study, I postulated that professional identity partially evolves from the contextual synergy co-created by the supervisor and the trainee as they integrate their various professional roles and personal characteristics into complementary interpersonal styles. This study explored the relationship between supervisory dyad Complementarity and the trainee's level of professional identity. Participants were supervisor-trainee dyads from mental health professional training sites and programs. The Impact Message Inventory, Form IIA, Octant Scale Version (IMI:IIA-OS; Kiesler & Schmidt, 1993) assessed the participants' interpersonal characteristics and the Supervisee Evaluation Inventory (SEI; Bernard, 1997) assessed the level of professional identity for the trainee. Analyses did not identify that interpersonal complementarity within the supervisory dyad influenced the trainee's professional identity development; thus, the null hypotheses for this study could not be rejected. Further analyses of interpersonal subscales identified several important relationship factors that suggest areas of further study.