The Dynamics of Self-Actualization Among Working Women Pursuing Higher Education: A Phenomenological Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47134/pssh.v3i3.592Keywords:
self-actualization, working women students, phenomenology, self-regulation, identity negotiationAbstract
This study aims to explore the meaning of self-actualization among women who simultaneously undertake the roles of worker and university student. Employing an interpretative phenomenological approach, the study involved four early adult women who were actively employed while pursuing higher education. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using reflective thematic analysis to identify the essence of participants’ lived experiences. The findings reveal that self-actualization is understood not as a final achievement but as an ongoing process of negotiation between professional demands, academic aspirations, and personal identity formation. Participants encountered challenges such as time conflicts, physical exhaustion, and emotional fluctuations, which were interpreted as integral to personal growth. Self-regulation, personal efficacy, and goal orientation emerged as central factors in sustaining commitment to capacity development. The study indicates that self-actualization among working women pursuing higher education is constructed through contextual, reflective, and adaptive processes, positioning it as an existential experience continuously negotiated within complex social circumstances.
References
Badan Pusat Statistik. (2023). Statistik pendidikan Indonesia 2023. Jakarta: BPS Republik Indonesia.
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191–215. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.84.2.191
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York, NY: W. H. Freeman.
Birt, L., Scott, S., Cavers, D., Campbell, C., & Walter, F. (2016). Member checking: A tool to enhance trustworthiness or merely a nod to validation? Qualitative Health Research, 26(13), 1802–1811. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732316654870
Butler, A. B. (2007). Job characteristics and college performance and attitudes: A model of work–school conflict and facilitation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(2), 500–510. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.2.500
Carver, C. S., & Connor-Smith, J. (2010). Personality and coping. Annual Review of Psychology, 61, 679–704. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.093008.100352
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York, NY: Random House.
Eagly, A. H., & Wood, W. (2012). Social role theory. In P. A. M. Van Lange, A. W.
Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. New York, NY: Norton.
Frankl, V. E. (1963). Man’s search for meaning. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
Goode, W. J. (1960). A theory of role strain. American Sociological Review, 25(4), 483–496. https://doi.org/10.2307/2092933
Greenhaus, J. H., & Beutell, N. J. (1985). Sources of conflict between work and family roles. Academy of Management Review, 10(1), 76–88. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1985.4277352
Greenhaus, J. H., & Powell, G. N. (2006). When work and family are allies: A theory of work–family enrichment. Academy of Management Review, 31(1), 72–92. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2006.19379625
Gross, J. J. (1998). The emerging field of emotion regulation: An integrative review. Review of General Psychology, 2(3), 271–299. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.2.3.271
Guion, L. A., Diehl, D. C., & McDonald, D. (2011). Triangulation: Establishing the validity of qualitative studies. Gainesville, FL: University of Florida IFAS Extension.
Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American Psychologist, 44(3), 513–524. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.44.3.513
Horta, H., Feng, Y., & Santos, J. M. (2022). Work–study conflict and academic performance among working students. Studies in Higher Education, 47(4), 861–876. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2020.1793931
Kruglanski, & E. T. Higgins (Eds.), Handbook of theories of social psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 458–476). London: Sage.
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York, NY: Springer.
Markus, H., & Nurius, P. (1986). Possible selves. American Psychologist, 41(9), 954–969. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.41.9.954
Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0054346
Maslow, A. H. (1970). Motivation and personality (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Harper & Row.
Masten, A. S. (2001). Ordinary magic: Resilience processes in development. American Psychologist, 56(3), 227–238. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.56.3.227
Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Rogers, C. R. (1961). On becoming a person. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
Rogers, C. R. (1963). The concept of the fully functioning person. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, 1(1), 17–26. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0088567
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2001). On happiness and human potentials: A review of research on hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 141–166. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.141
Sieber, S. D. (1974). Toward a theory of role accumulation. American Sociological Review, 39(4), 567–578. https://doi.org/10.2307/2094422
Smith, J. A., & Osborn, M. (2008). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. In J. A. Smith (Ed.), Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods (pp. 53–80). London: Sage.
Smith, J. A., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2009). Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory, method and research. London: Sage.
Wahba, M. A., & Bridwell, L. G. (1976). Maslow reconsidered: A review of research on the need hierarchy theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 15(2), 212–240. https://doi.org/10.1016/0030-5073(76)90038-6
Zimmerman, B. J. (2000). Attaining self-regulation: A social cognitive perspective. In M. Boekaerts, P. R. Pintrich, & M. Zeidner (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation (pp. 13–39). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Rahmanisa Murtaja Naswariski, Siti Rohmah Nurhayati
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
