Theories of Career Development CG 521 Text Chapter

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Theories of Career Development

• CG 521 Text
• Chapter 4
• Introduction to Career Counseling in the 21st
  Century

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Introduction to Career Theories

• Well-formulated and empirically tested theories
  enable us to make deductions about how clients
  experience career development, make career
  decisions, and adjust to career demands
• Such tested theories give us guidelines for
  professional practice
• Existing theories should be viewed as
  complementary ways of understanding, not as
  fully-developed competing explanations

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Perspectives on Career Theories

• Regardless of theoretical orientation, career
  counselors need to remember that
• Career development is but one aspect of overall
  development
• Change now dictates that career decision-making
  will occur at differing points and intervals
  across the life span
• The meaning of work in peoples lives varies, but
  some careers are a way of life

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Trait-Factor Theory

• Name derived from assumption that objectively
  measured traits (interests, values, aptitudes,
  achievements, etc.) could be matched to factors
  typically required for success in a given career
  area
• This approach was an outgrowth of Frank Parsons
  concept of vocational guidance in his 1909 book,
  Choosing a Vocation

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Parsons Steps for Career Choice

• A clear understanding of yourself, including
  attitudes, abilities, interests, ambitions,
  resource limitations, and their causes
• Specific knowledge concerning different lines of
  work, including requirements and conditions for
  success, advantages and disadvantages,
  compensation, opportunities and prospects
• Rational thinking about the relationships between
  these two groups of facts
• Assumes that traits and career factors are stable

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Trait-Factor Theory (contd)

• E.G. Williamson, prominent advocate of
  trait-factor theory around WWII, believed career
  clients have one of four problem types
• No choice
• Uncertain choice
• Unwise choice
• Discrepancy between interests and aptitudes

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Counseling Modifications to Parsons 3-Step
Model

• Assist the client to increase self-understanding,
  including probable use of psychological measures
• Direct client to appropriate career information
  resources
• Assist client in integrating and matching
  self-knowledge with knowledge of current career
  possibilities
• Help client examine probable lifestyle and role
  of work in life connected to particular career
  choices

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Modernization of Trait-Factor Theory
Person-Environment Fit

1. Individuals seek out environments that provide
   and/or allow for expression of behavioral traits
2. Degree of fit between individual and environment
   is related to important outcomes, both for the
   individual and the environment
3. Process of person-environment fit is reciprocal
   the individual shapes the environment and the
   environment shapes the individual.

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Personality Theories

• Anne Roe based her career theory work on
  Maslowes hierarchy of needs (physiological,
  safety, belonging/love, self-esteem,
  self-actualization)
• Roe saw needs structure as being influenced by
  childhood experiences, and needs structure as
  influencing choice of occupational categories

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Roes Personality-Based Occupational Categories

1. Service
2. Business contact
3. Organization
4. Technology
5. Outdoor
6. Science
7. Culture
8. Arts and entertainment

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Roes Six Classification Levels for All
Occupational Groups (by degree of responsibility
and abilities needed)

1. Professional and managerial (independent
   responsibility)
2. Professional and managerial (less independence or
   important responsibility)
3. Semiprofessional and small business
4. Skilled
5. Semiskilled
6. Unskilled

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Hollands Typology of Personality Types and
Work Environments

• Basic belief that a person expresses his/her
  personality via career choice
• Posits six personality types in our culture and
  the same six types of work environments
  realistic, investigative, artistic, social,
  enterprising, conventional (p.65 in text)
• Idea that individuals prefer and select
  environments that match their personality types
  empirically supported for men, women and
  minorities

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Hollands RIASEC Hexagon
Realistic
Investigative
Artistic
Conventional
Social
Enterprising
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Hollands Personality Types (1)

• Realistichas mechanical ability, but may lack
  social skills. Described as
• Asocial Inflexible Practical
• Conforming Materialistic Self-effacing
• Frank Natural Thrifty
• Genuine Normal Uninsightful
• Hardheaded Persistent Uninvolved
• Like jobs requiring technical, mechanical,
  manual, or agricultural skills (mechanic, air
  traffic controller, surveyor, farmer, electrician)

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Hollands Personality Types (2)

• Investigativehas mathematical and scientific
  ability, but often lacks leadership ability.
  Described as
• Analytical Independent Rational
• Cautious Intellectual Reserved
• Complex Introspective Retiring
• Critical Pessimistic Unassuming
• Curious Precise Unpopular
• Work involves intellectual problem-solving
  (biologist, chemist, physicist, anthropologist,
  geologist, medical technologist)

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Hollands Personality Types (3)

• Artistichas artistic abilities, but often lacks
  clerical skills. Described as
• Complicated Imaginative Intuitive
• Disorderly Impractical Nonconforming
• Emotional Impulsive Open
• Expressive Independent Original
• Idealistic Introspective Sensitive
• Work requires creative skills in unstructured
  environment (composer, musician, stage director,
  writer, interior decorator, actor)

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Hollands Personality Types (4)

• Socialhas social skills and talents, but often
  lacks mechanical and scientific ability.
  Described as
• Ascendant Helpful Responsible
• Cooperative Idealistic Sociable
• Empathic Kind Tactful
• Friendly Patient Understanding
• Generous Persuasive Warm
• Work requires social, educational and
  therapeutic skills (teacher, religious worker,
  counselor, clinical psychiatric case worker,
  speech therapist)

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Hollands Personality Types (5)

• Enterprisinghas leadership and speaking
  abilities, but often lacks scientific ability.
  Described as
• Acquisitive Energetic Flirtatious
• Adventurous Excitement- Optimistic
• Agreeable seeking Self-confident
• Ambitious Exhibitionistic Sociable
• Domineering Extroverted Talkative
• Work involves persuasive, manipulative and
  leadership skills (sales person, manager,
  business executive, television producer, sports
  promoter, buyer)

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Hollands Personality Types (6)

• Conventionalhas clerical and arithmetic ability,
  but often lacks artistic abilities. Described as
• Careful Inflexible Persistent
• Conforming Inhibited Practical
• Conscientious Methodical Prudish
• Defensive Obedient Thrifty
• Efficient Orderly Unimaginative
• Work involves systematic organization and
  manipulation of data (bookkeeper, stenographer,
  financial analyst, banker, cost estimator, tax
  expert)

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Developmental Theorists (1)

• Piaget stages of cognitive development
• Sensorimotor (0-2) from reflex to goal-directed
• Preoperational (2-7) language, symbolic thought
• Concrete operational (7-11) logic, seriation,
  reversibility
• Formal operational (11-15) abstract thinking,
  scientific approach, social issues, identity

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Developmental Theorists (2) Erikson stages of
psychosocial development

• 0-1 Trust v. Mistrust
• 1-3 Autonomy v. Doubt
• 3-6 Initiative v. Guilt
• 6-12 Industry v. Inferiority
• 12-20 Identity v. Role confusion
• 20-40 Intimacy v. Isolation
• 40-65 Generativity v. Self- absorption
• 65 Integrity v. Despair

• Getting, giving
• Holding, letting go
• Going after, playing
• Making, cooperating
• Self, sharing self
• Lose/find self in other
• Taking care of
• Being (history) facing not being

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Developmental Theorists (3) Havighursts
Lifelong Vocational Development

• 5-10
• 10-15
• 15-25
• 25-40
• 40-70
• 70

• Identification with a worker (father, mother,
  etc) Concept of working internalized
• Acquiring basic habits of industry. Organizing
  (schoolwork, chores), work / play mix
• Acquiring identity as worker in occup. structure.
• Choosing/preparing for occupation, experience
• Becoming a productive person. Mastering
  occupational skills, moving up the occ. ladder
• Maintaining a productive society. Emphasis toward
  societal, away from individual occup. peak
  mentoring of younger workers
• Contemplating a productive and responsible life.

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Developmental Theorists (4)

• Donald Super
• Components of Supers Life-Career Rainbow
• Life roles
• Child
• Student
• Leisurite
• Citizen
• Worker
• Homemaker

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Donald Supercontd (2)

• Life-Career Rainbow Components (contd)
• Life stages
• Growth
• Exploration
• Establishment
• Maintenance
• Decline

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Donald Supercontd (3)

• Life-Career Rainbow Components (contd)
• Personal determinants
• Psychological
• Biological
• Situational determinants
• Historical
• Socioeconomic

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Donald Supercontd (4)

• Super also talks about
• developing and implementing occupational
  self-concepts
• synthesizing individual and social factors,
  self-concept and reality is a matter of
  role-playing and learning from feedback
• cycling and recycling of occupational
  developmental tasks throughout life span

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Sociological Theory

• Chance theory chance (more than deliberate
  planning or steady progress) is a main
  occupational determinant