Introduction
The notion of a contextualized career counselling model and science for the South Africanenvironment is an issue at the heart of many an academic and practitioner in this field.However the realities of this outcome are dependant on a few mitigating circumstances andconsiderations that have to be adequately metered out. Thus this paper in a criticallydescriptive manner shall elucidate the circumstances and considerations alluded to, byintroducing most importantly the concepts and works of various authors on this topic. Theideas shall be provided, and crucially a critique for each shall be presented after eachdiscussion. Conceptually, this essay shall begin by positing what theories are most pervasivewithin the South African career counselling framework with an express look at the theories of Holland (1973) and Super (1990), such predisposition towards these theories shall becritiqued by stating the socio-economic reality of South Africa which render these specificwestern theories ineffective and aloof. Thus this shall lead into the next idea this paper seeksto raise which is the advocating of the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) as the mostappropriate theory in the interim. The key tenets of this theory shall be discussed, showingexplicitly its relevance for the local context.Given the argument that SCCT should be pervasive in the interim, we’ll then elucidate onwhat the proposed path career counselling methods and research should ascribe to in SouthAfrica, by looking at Indigenisation and Indigenous psychologies respectively; and moresignificantly to support this idea, by showing the need to develop a qualitative career assessment process. Critically, the qualitative assessment model shall require a look into aconstructivist framework to assist in constructing meaning; and the idea that supportsframework this is the usage of the hermeneutic and dialogical approach to understandingcareer development.It is important to state that at that juncture of our paper, the notion of uncertainty shall beintroduced and meticulously discussed, by firstly assessing what its impact and implicationsfor career decision-making are, and discussing what recommendations and guidelines are posited under the positive uncertainty framework are. The penultimate section of this paper shall then theoretically account for the current era of constant change and uncertainty weconstruct our sense of reality in; by providing firstly the Happenstance theory, which assertsunplanned events aren’t annoyances, but should be seen as opportunities for career
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