Unlike his childhood learning, as an adult John is motivated by being able to apply new information to real life context. At the same time, he feels that as an Anglo man there is a social expectation that an advanced degree is necessary in order to be successful and move ahead in his career. There is also subtle pressure from his family to continue his education, likely because his father has a doctorate degree and his grandfather has three doctorate degrees and one honorary doctorate degree. Though by most accounts John has enjoyed and benefited from the privileges highlighted in McIntosh's video, some of these may have come with a perceived pressure to push himself academically beyond his intrinsic motivation for formal education (spectrumlens, 2008).
Deidra does not have a formal degree. Though she didn't feel family or social pressure to receive a formal education, she initially planned to attend college to be an engineer. However, marriage and family took precedence and neither school nor work were a possibility at the time. She began several post-secondary programs, including a master of divinity, but was unable to complete them. She, too, has received certifications in various subjects, including personality type, prevention and investigation of child sexual abuse, and mentoring. Deidra prefers to learn alongside a community of peers. In a learning environment, Deidra is energized by hearing other's thoughts and opinions, engaging in interaction with her classmates and teacher, and challenging different points of view. She likes learning experientially and through hands-on work. She enjoys taking a subject and "feeling it, seeing it, and understanding it from all [sides]", likely signaling an accommodator learning style that differs from John's more theoretical and reflective assimilator style (Kolb, 1981). Unlike her childhood education, Deidra now chooses to learn topics that interest her, add value, and can be transferred to areas of life...