Nevitt Sanford theorized that student development depends on both challenge and support. Finding the sweet space f between challenge and support will lead to growth.

Challenges occur in situations where an individual does not have knowledge, skills, or attitudes to cope. This often occurs when entering a college campus.

The practitioner responsibility is to find balance between challenge and assist the students with developing and strengthening their coping mechanisms.

Coping can mean striking a balance between attitudes of differentiation (i.e., the student understands themselves as unique and differentiated), and integration(i.e., students understand themselves as members of groups).

This Prezi on Support & Challenge is interactive and incredibly useful. It was created by Peggy Sharp: