tent with his or her existing self-schema or when one moves from one community to another" (Baron and Byrne 168). Baumeister's viewpoint, concerning the modern western individual, is that " the modern self is seen as having a license and obligation to create itself" (206). He also states that "Modern Western society presents people with a remarkable opportunity to become autonomous, self-determined, unique, and fulfilled"(208). Yet, it is usually the case that, before leaving the protection of home, a young man or woman has not been exposed to many of the harsher, more demanding characteristics of society. Due to this lack of exposure, the working self-concept that was in place while at home may have been under-developed and unfitting for the level of independence that will soon be forced upon them. As vessels radically influenced by parents and caretakers young men and women may not have had enough independence, preceding their entrance into college, to "be themselves". In keeping with Baumeister, it may just be in the nature of young individuals of western society, to seize the chance at testing out more appropriate, comfortable, and self-fulfilling images upon entering the "real world". And taking residence upon a college campus definitely provides this chance. According to Markus and Nurius "one's self-concept at any given time is actually just a working self concept, something open to change in response to new experiences, new feedback, and new self-relevant information" (Baron & Byrne 167). On certain occasions, trying to compare an individual's college self to his/her home self might leave you with a number of distinct differences; differences in academic performance, fashion sense, speech, religious belief, social and sexual preferences, etc. When such changes take place within a college student, a number of forces can be cited as the cause. Changes may be due in part to that individuals exposure to the other...
