The Hero’s Journey in Higher Education
Are you the protagonist in your own story?
The Hero’s Journey is a narrative framework that describes a common archetype across literature, films and media, from Star Wars to Alice in Wonderland. Formulated by American Mythologist, Joseph Campbell, The Hero’s Journey follows the protagonist as they navigate through a series of learning experiences. We become a narrator of our personal hero journey and document our own moments of transformational change along these paths.
The cyclical motion of the hero’s journey is something we all experience and within Higher Education, the Hero’s Journey is all too familiar. For both students and staff, our journey within Higher Education, are our own personal narratives. As we reflect on the journey of obtaining our degree as a student or reflect on our professional journey as a lecturer, we can liken these steps and stages of the Hero’s Journey.
The Call to Adventure: The dawn of our journey begins with our decision to start doing something. What triggered the initial thoughts to begin something new?
Internal Cause for Pause: This is the internal dialogue we have that pauses us from moving forward. This cause may be due to doubts, fears, thoughts or our level of confidence.
External Check Points: These are the external forces that keep us from passing the threshold such as our financial situation, family obligations or institutional requirements.
A Helping Hand: A helping hand is our guide to this new world or opportunity. It can appear in the form of a person or a thing.
The Threshold/Into the Unknown: As we crossover into the unknown, we begin something new.
Challenges & Distractions: Challenges and difficulties present themselves when we find ourselves in this unknown territory. A number of distractions that draw our focus away from your journey also exist.
Advice, Advisors & Support: This accounts for the things, people or programmes that help us through your challenges. These may appear in the form of friends, family, university staff or colleagues.
Moment of Clarity: A moment of realisation and clarity comes when we are able to visualise our pay off or see the worth of our journey.
The Reward: As the hero’s journey comes to a close, we are rewarded for our dedication and detriment. At this stage, the journey has paid off for the protagonist.
Map out your own journey and maneuver through each stage. Visualising the process you go through can help you reflect on a journey you have taken in the past and the learnings you acquired. Similarly, it can help you map a journey you are currently undertaking. The Hero Journey Framework can make us more mindful of our desired outcomes, destinations and the high and low points along the way.
