Running Head: THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ITALIAN CAREER

The Development of the Italian Career Through the Perspective

of Psychosocial and Ecological Models
Lauren Moretti

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ITALIAN CAREER

When looking at Ross Kings book, Brunelleschis Dome, and

Dario Castangos book, Too Much Tuscan Sun: Confessions of a Chianti
Tour Guide, there are clear differences between the two if you were to
examine careers specifically. Brunelleschi was an architect and
Castagno was a tour guide. Though there are clear differences in terms
of the purpose of the two professions, both men went through a similar
path in the development of their careers. In looking at Eriksons early
stages of psychosocial development, it can be seen that both men
needed to embrace various skills and drives to create a feeling of
competence and stability as professionals and to avoid the conflicts of
doubt and inferiority, to name a few. Secondly, both men had
experienced similar extrinsic forces that can be accounted for by
Bronfenbrenners Ecological Model. It can be seen, that regardless of
the purpose of a career, similar forces affect professionals that can aid
or cause challenges to vocational development.

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Though Brunelleschi and Castagno differed in their vocational

choices, one an architect and the other a tour guide, both went
through Eriksons stages for psychosocial development to establish a
satisfying and stable career. Furthermore, the interaction of various
systems described in Bronfenbrenners Ecological Theory had affected
both men and the course of their careers.
An early stage of Eriksons is the stage of autonomy versus
shame and doubt. This stage occurs in early childhood where the child
feels the need to address the conflict of shame and doubt by creating a
sense of independence and autonomy.
To start, Brunelleschis early career can be described with this stage
involving the early childhood conflict of autonomy versus shame and
doubt. Brunelleschi was the son of a notary, and it was intended that
he followed a career in the same manner of his father. However, he
showed little desire to have a similar career, preferring to solve
problems involving machines (King, 12). In the psychosocial stage,
children need to feel a sense of independence. By pursuing a career in
architecture, Brunelleschi removed himself from the desires of others
for his career and moved toward his personal control of his vocation,
which created a sense of independence and autonomy. From this point,
Brunelleschi had been able to resolve the conflict of shame and doubt

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in that he felt his vocational choices were his own and was able to
continue through the stages.
Castagno, too, had a similar conflict with the development in his
career as a tour guide. Castagno describes the frustrations of his job at
the winery as being less and less satisfying (Castagno, 97). He
continues to note the desire for a job of his own on his own terms
(Castagno, 97). More specifically, he desires independence
(Castagno, 97). This is a direct example of the conflict in the
psychosocial stage of autonomy versus shame and doubt. By not
embracing a set of skills and calling for independence, Castagno
experienced the shame of an unsatisfying career. However, Castagno
resolved this conflict first by understanding the set of skills that he
possessed, which was the ability to speak English fluently and having a
deep understanding of the area. Further, the appreciation of the rich
history and the nuances of the region were another set of skills that
would continue to benefit his eventual chosen vocation. Soon,
Castagno quit his job and chose to control and apply his skills to
another area to gain a sense of independence vocationally. This
addressed the conflict of shame and doubt from an unsatisfying job
and moved him toward the next stage.
Eriksons next stage, initiative versus guilt, emphasizes
exploration. Those in this stage begin to manipulate their environment
to gain a sense of purpose. Brunelleschi, in this stage, started to gain

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control over his environment by participating in an apprenticeship as a

goldsmith. One of the benefits of being the apprentice to a goldsmith
was the large scope that it covered (King, 13). This is important for
the development of Brunelleschi in the psychosocial stages because it
allows the important event of exploration to be more deeply felt, which
creates a greater sense of purpose. For example, because the
environment stimulated exploration, Brunelleschi was able to master
mounting gems, engraving, and embossing (King, 13).
Meanwhile, Castagno began to control his environment by going
to various hotels to explain and promote his services as a tour guide.
Due to the disapproval of concierges in hotels who were unsure of
Castagnos purpose, discouraging, or dismissive, Castagno had
developed what Erikson described as guilt over the lack of business
he was receiving. Nevertheless, Castagno was able to progress through
later stages by taking initiative and no longer relying on receptionists
to propel his new career.
The next psychosocial stage is industry versus inferiority. In this
stage, one must address the demands of their environment by using
their set of skills. By successfully using the developed skills, a sense of
competence occurs. On the other hand, inferiority is a conflict that can
arise when the skills do not adequately address the demands of the
environment. Brunelleschi, through his apprenticeship, now has a
series of valuable skills as a craftsman. The demands of his

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environment come from the competitions, which called different

craftsman to create a model that can show their skills can be applied
to create the cathedral. Brunelleschi won multiple competitions and
therefore became a significant figure in the creation of Santa Maria del
Fiore. The success of being chosen and the monetary rewards that
follow created feelings of competence for Brunelleschi.
Castagno previously experienced the conflict that arises in the
previous stage of guilt from his lack of immediate success in his new
career. Though he had proceeded to the next stage and eventually
received his first client, there was still the serious possibility of falling
into the conflict of inferiority in this stage. However, Castagno met the
demands of his environment by continuing to embrace a set of skills.
Previously mentioned, Castagno had the skill of knowledge of the
region. For his first tour, he increased that skill by refreshing himself on
the history of the region of Chianti (Castagno, 115). By meeting the
demands of his environment with his set of skills, Castagno had a
successful first tour, which contributed to his feelings of competence,
which aided his development of a career.
By looking at the early stages of Eriksons psychosocial
development, one can see the challenges that both Brunelleschi and
Castagno faced. Clearly, the two differed dramatically in their chosen
profession. Nevertheless, both progressed through a series of stages

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that resulted in conflict and eventually in feelings of competence and

success in their chosen field.
To continue with the development of careers, one can look at the
effects of the different systems in Bronfenbrenners Ecological Theory.
One of the most significant systems is the microsystem. To start, in the
microsystem the family is one of the earliest systems that can affect a
career. For Castagno, one of his greatest skills for his chosen profession
was his ability to speak English fluently. This was grew because of the
influence of his family. Because Castagnos family lived in London due
to his parents careers, he was able to learn English by being in a
culture that speaks the language (Castagno, 3). This was an invaluable
skill that made him profitable as a tour guide.
Brunelleschi, on the other hand, had the luxury of being from a
prosperous family with a father who was a notary (King, 12). Because
Brunelleschis family was financially stable thanks to his fathers
career, Brunelleschi could be supported and begin a career in a
profession other than his fathers. The family has a direct effect on a
career in that it provides one with an environment that can aid one in
the skills or means to create that career.
Next in the microsystem, peers, or perhaps in this case
coworkers, have an effect as well. Both Castagno and Brunelleschi
were involved in professions that had competition. This was a great
example for Brunelleschi. The construction of Santa Maria del Fiore was

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largely done after the completion of a competition among craftsmen.

Brunelleschi was in multiple occasions participating in competitions
and often won them. By having a competition among peers,
Brunelleschi was able to further his development as a professional.
These competitions called on him to use the skills he developed as an
architect in innovative ways to solve a presented problem. It also gave
him the status and financial means to further his career.
The next area that had an effect on the career development of
Castagno and Brunelleschi was that of patrons. Both men were
providing services to satisfy the desires of those who were paying
them. As noted earlier, Brunelleschi was able to continue with
construction after successfully winning competitions. Had the wardens
of the Opera del Duomo not chosen his model, Brunelleschi likely
would not have had the means to further his career as an architect.
Therefore, the system in place required that he tailored his skill set to
meet the needs of those he served.
Castagno had a similar system in place, a system that caused
clear frustration. Castagnos skill of knowledge of the region is a key
component to his success as a tour guide, nevertheless, that skill is
only valuable if it meets the interest of those who are on the tour.
Multiple scenarios emerged where Castagno was left frustrated
because of the lack of interest on the part of many tourists in what
Castagno showed. Though this frustration is understandable, without

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the support of the client, a career like this is impossible. Therefore, due
to the influence of patrons, Brunelleschi and Castagno, as
professionals, had to balance their skill set with the demands of those
who were supporting their careers.
The beliefs and values established in the macrosystem are also
an important factor to consider when looking at career development.
One of the values that aided Brunelleschi in his career development
was pride. A purpose of the construction of the cathedral was to create
a more beautiful and honourable temple than any (King, 3). Because
of the desire to be venerated and the large deal of pride, Brunelleschi
was able to create a very meaningful career. This cathedral was to be
the best and though that created many obstacles for Brunelleschi, it
also called for him to be innovative in his solutions. This would mean
that his skill set would be challenged and put to use, which can foster
growth for a craftsman. Had those who were funding the construction
of the cathedral not believed in creating something magnificent and
superior, Brunelleschi might not have had the same opportunity to test
his skill set and therefore advance his career.
Bronfenbrenner uses his ecological theory to discuss how various
systems interact with each other to affect the self. Using this theory, it
can be seen that the same systems have direct effects on the
development of careers. Most notably, this can be seen due to the
necessity of a professional to satisfy the demands of a client. This is

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also clear when the values of an employer create an environment that

aids the development of a career through challenges.
Again, Castagno and Brunelleschi had numerous differences from
their time period to their craft and elsewhere. They went through
similar stages in early development of their careers and had similar
forces acting on it, however. Through going through the processes of
Eriksons Psychosocial Stages and by meeting the demands of the
forces as seen through Bronfenbrenners Ecological Theory both men,
regardless of their differences, were able to create stable and
satisfying careers.

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Castagno, D. (2004). Too Much Tuscan Sun: Confessions of a Chianti

Tour Guide.
Guillford, CT: The Globe Pequot Press.
King, R. (2000). Brunelleschis Dome. New York, NY: Bloomsbury.

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