Ma. Thea Diane G.

Billones MP-I
Final Assessment in Career Development
1. Given the different the different career development theories, choose one theory
from every cluster (Person- Environment Correspondence, Developmental, Social
Learning and Cognitive, Contemporary).
Person- Environment Correspondence
The Personality theory of career choice by Anne Roe was designed to explain

how the childhood experiences of children affect their future career choice. The theory

can be elaborately explained through the development of various satisfactions and

frustrations of psychological needs that were experienced by an individual during

childhood. The structure of the theory mainly rely on the theory of Abraham Maslow’s

Hierarchy of Needs which states that there are different levels of needs that a person

should be able to satisfy, while the unsatisfied needs, according to Roe, will serve as

strong motivators for the individual in creating their career choice.

Furthermore, the personality theory of career choice argues that environment has

a large influence in shaping the early experiences of the child. The kind of child- rearing

in the environment was considered by Roe as a factor in choosing a future career which

led her in identifying three kinds of child- rearing environments namely: Emotional

Concentration, Avoidance, and Acceptance.

Emotional Concentration is a child- rearing environment where the physical needs

of the child are met but the psychological and emotional needs were compromised due to

the conditions to gain love, affection, and approval. This type of child- rearing

environment can range from the parents being overly protective to their child to being

over demanding on the child’s performance.

As a child is reared in an overprotective environment, learning that certain

behaviors constitute to a reward can develop dependency on the behavior of the child in

choosing a career for his/herself. This can also lead to dependence to the approval of

others in developing their self- esteem. On the other hand, children that were exposed in

an environment which demands high performance from them can influence the
development of behavior by acquiring perfectionist tendencies and living up to the “all-

or- nothing” standard of the parent. This kind of child- rearing environment can also

develop a competitive behavior in order to satisfy the standard of the caregiver.

In an Avoidance child- rearing environment the physical, emotional, and

psychological needs of the child is neglected by the caregiver. The neglect that was

received by the child eventually manifest in the career choice in the future.

The child- rearing environment that accepts the child involves the wholehearted

acceptance of the child and meeting the physical and psychological needs. The

independence of the child and self- reliance. The cultivation of self- reliance can highly

influence the child in choosing the career path. These environment can influence how the

needs of the child are met therefore contribute to the choice of field.

Anne Roe developed classifications which are comprised of eight fields in order

create a classification of occupations. Adults that are inclined in the social services are

said to be reared in an overprotective but loving environment.

The theory of Anne Roe also garnered different criticism for her theory. The

retrospective nature of her theory wherein the parenting style, and child- rearing

environment of people on the same field of work does not possess much empirical proof.

Roe’s theory mainly focuses only on the classification of varying personality types to

different field of occupation.

Observing the application of Roe’s theory to my personal experience, I can say

that it had helped further justify my inclination to the field of public service. The field of

psychology is indeed an occupation that concerns for the well- being of the public, which

I can relate to the type of environment that I was reared.

My child- rearing environment had taught me to give concern for the people

around me. The empathy that was instilled to me at a young age had influenced me in

choosing an occupational field that gives more compassion to people and the community.

Though I still believe that this theory is not the sole explanation for my career choice, I
can say that it can be one of the many career development theories that can provide

justification as to why I chose my field.

Roe’s theory can be best used to guide adolescents that are still confused on their

career track. Through classifying their personality types they can have an initial idea for

what field they can pursue. The personality of an adolescent is considered as a high

influence on the career choice of the person. This can be used as a guide of the parents in

order for them to help the development of career choice.

In the current environment, this theory can play an important role through

informing the parents that their parenting style might have an influence in the career

choice of their children in the future. The inclination of the parents can also be a factor in

the way a child might consider an occupational field. This is crucial for adolescents

because it is the stage of their lives that they need proper guidance from caregivers.

Life- Span, Life- Space Theory

Donald Super’s theory is composed of interdisciplinary research involving the

fields of sociology and psychology in choosing a career path. He acknowledged the fact

that one aspect or field will not be enough basis to encapsulate the process of career

development. Primarily, the theory devised by Super and colleagues is developmental in

nature though it still includes various fields and acknowledges their influence in career

development of an individual.

Super’s theory argues that people have unique self- characteristics and self-

concepts. Elaborately speaking, Super pointed out that each of us possess traits and

characteristics that only exist within us and the way we think about ourselves which

makes us suitable for a certain job position of a career path. According to his theory,

different occupations require specific characteristics that can only be filled by a certain

person.

The theory also argues that the self- concept of an individual can evolve through

the course of time. Our self- concept can be influenced of the experiences we encounter
throughout our life. Thus, this self- concept that we form influences the way we consider

a career. The process of developing self- concept does not end at a certain stage in our

lives, it extends until late adulthood which makes it a life- long process. Through the

course of developing our self- concept, we may encounter experiences that will influence

our career choice thus affecting our career path.

Another assumption of Super’s theory claims that the process of change for us are

mainly categorized in varying stages of life, namely: growth, exploration, establishment,

maintenance, and decline/disengagement). In addition, the occupational level together

with the career pattern of an individual are affected by different factors. The factors that

are considered to influence the career path of an individual are clustered into contextual

and personal factors.

The contextual factors involves the family, socioeconomic status, educational

opportunities, type of community, and privilege. The family of an individual can highly

affect how an individual chooses a career path, let us take for example the way the child

was conditioned to pursue a career path. The family would remind the child in subtle

ways that the child should be in track of the chosen career path.

The socioeconomic status is a big factor in achieving a career path. The

consequences of not having enough financial resources can lead to an individual settling

on a lower level job. The financial resources can also help an individual go to a more

equip school that will later on help him/her acquire better educational opportunities that

will later on back them up on advancing the occupational ladder.

The contextual factors can also aide in developing the personal factors that an

individual possess. These personal factors involve an individual’s skills, personality, and

values. The kind of environment that an individual was exposed can contribute to the

development of personality which attracts certain career path. Furthermore, the theory

also implies that in order for a person to choose a career, they must be able to recognize

and apply their self- concept in the real- life setting.

 Through the learned experiences, an individual learns how to compromise in

order to achieve the set goal. The person also learns how to identify his/ her role in the

community which will satisfy them and participate in the development of the community.

Through exploration and development of self- concept the person will be able to learn

from the environment and develop characteristics that will help them fit on a certain

occupation.

Moreover, Super’s theory also considers career development as a life- long

process. This assumption led to the development of stages of career development which

involves growth, exploration, establishment, maintenance, and disengagement.

The growth of an individual involves childhood. During this stage, the child is

exposed to the fantasies of the occupational world. The child’s curiosity of the workforce

world is fueled by the games that they play and them witnessing the career world going

on around them through adults. These form curiosities enables them to acquire

information regarding work and develop interest in pursuing the job. Through the course

of their growth, children are able to learn that their behaviors and values can affect the

course of their career path.

The next stage of career development is exploration in which an individual starts

to create a plan for their future. This is also the stage where an individual develop varying

preferences which makes them suitable to different occupations. Through specifying

preferences, an adolescent can implement their choices and crystallize it to create a firm

stand on the career choice.

After the exploration stage, establishment will enter during early adulthood. This

is the stage that an individual stabilizes their occupation and create their career path. This

stage is also crucial because at any point in this stage, an individual might realize that the

job he/ she have is not apt for the possessed skills thus changing the career path.

In the middle adulthood, the maintenance stage is present where an individual

upholds and innovate their skills for the current job that they take in. people that are able
to update and innovate in their career path can become a good mentor to those who are

still building their careers. Lastly, the disengagement stage covers the last part of an

individual’s career path. This stage is more concerned in passing the wisdom and legacy

to a younger generation. This is also the stage for planning about retirement.

Super’s theory is applicable in my life for the reason that I am already in the stage

of establishment. At this moment, I am considering what career path should I really take

and commit to. There may be a lot of changes that might happen that’s why I need to

decide to which career path I can give my full commitment.

This theory is very relevant to my clients which are composed of adolescents

trying to find their purpose in life. This can help them compare and reflect on their

experiences which they can used to navigate the development of their self- concept thus

making them an individual that can decide firmly on the career path that they want. In

addition, the theory of Super is used in different career models and career test which

guides adolescents and provides them empirical data on their career development.

Career Construction Theory

The theory developed by Mark Savickas mainly tackles multiple perspectives

incorporated to each other in order to further understand the different preference of

people or employees in the workplace. The career construction theory is a combination of

developmental, dynamic, differential perspectives which makes it a comprehensive

theory in analyzing the preferences on a job and course of career development of an

individual’s life.

The career construction theory provides emphasis on the coping style used by

people in dealing with tasks and life transitions. These tasks and transitions can be a

factor for an individual to continue for the line of job or hop from job to another. The

way of coping to the challenges encountered in the workplace can greatly predict if an

individual will stay on the current job or find another job that would satisfy them.
 Moreover, the theory also tackles how people reflect on the experiences that they

encounter in life and reflect on them. The retrospection done by an individual will help in

identifying life themes that can serve as a guide on the career preference of the person.

These life themes can be used to further understand and analyze the reason why an

individual had chosen different fields. This theory also recognizes the application of

different theories in the course of life of an individual.

Career construction theory mainly rely on constructivism as it analyzes the life

themes created by a person in order to analyze the course of career development.

Constructivism tackles that we, as unique individuals, create our own interpretation of

reality in order to fit it in the reality of our environment. These realities are different from

the interpretation of one individual to another thus, we cannot fully say that one’s reality

is right or wrong.

The construction of career concept enforces that the past, present, and future

experiences are given personal meanings through putting them together in order to create

a life theme that justify the work-life pattern of a person. These patterns are analyzed

fruitfully in order to guide the individual in career choice. The patterns and life themes

that were identified by career counselors are used in assessing the individual to further

provide guidance in the choice of career.

The theory points out how an individual uses their acquired skills and abilities to

the experiences that concerns and are related to the career behavior. The career

construction theory uses the meaning- making process of the person to extract the

patterns and form it into life themes that tackles the subjective perspective of an

individual to the career.

This theory helps clients to further understand, and raise awareness to the person

of his/ her life themes that are embedded on the life experiences and life stories. Through

the use of this theory in counseling guide the client to further understand how life

experiences unravel the importance of their respective life themes in the molding of their

career path.
 This career development theory, being constructive in nature, mainly focuses on

the self of the individual. The self is viewed in three perspectives namely: self as an actor,

self as agent, and self as author on his/her own career development process. The self-

construction starts during the childhood years of a person. It is evident through the

personal immersion and exposure of an individual to a certain experience that creates an

impact in the personal perspective of the child to the work life environment.

During adolescence, the person becomes an agent that creates the way to mold

their own career path. In this stage we direct our own actions to the development of our

career while using the resources that are available for the person. Lastly, as an individual

progresses in the career path, they become authors that writes and explains the actions

made in order to justify the direction that we have chosen.

Traits are viewed in this theory as tools or strategies to adapt and connect the self

in the environment. Through the connection of the individual in the environment they can

truly find the purpose and role that they want to take in the community. The adaptability

of the individual is reflected on how the traits are utilized in certain life experiences.

This theory is generally used to construct and deconstructing the career story of a

person. The career counselor first must understand the life themes of the client in order to

be able to weave a pattern that can give the client a bigger picture of what he/ she really

wants in the career development. The first stage in the use of this theory in counseling

will start from constructing or deconstructing an existing idea in the individual. It will be

then deconstructed to further explore the embedded themes in the career stories of the

person. The deconstructed construct of the client will then be reconstructed to create a

clearer image of the career story, which can be used to plot the themes that are really

useful in the career development of the client, and lastly, coconstruction will be created in

order to equip the client for the next chapter of the career story.

This theory is helpful in my field especially in guiding people that are entering a

confusing part of life. Those that are still unsure of their career choice can use this theory

in order to fully understand what they really want, and what their life experiences are
saying in terms of their career story. Through reflecting on the experiences, an individual

will be able to realize their real purpose and process the best career path for them.

Robert Hoppock’s Career Development Theory

Hoppock’s theory mainly put emphasis on satisfying the personal needs through

the job. He had put importance to the level of job satisfaction that an individual attains in

the workplace. This job satisfaction is determined by the assessment of difference

between what a person wants from a job and the attainment in terms of career path.

Once the person had become aware of the needs that can be satisfied by a certain

job, the choice for occupation will most likely become a subject for change. He

formulated 10 basic postulates that explains the level of job satisfaction of the client. The

first postulate is that recognizing that everyone has needs. It is undeniable that human

beings have several needs that should be satisfied. We have our basic physical needs that

are to be satisfied first, this includes our food, shelter, and clothing that are satisfied

through the salary that we receive from our job. Another need is our higher order

psychological needs which covers our self- esteem, respect, and self- actualization. This

need can be satisfied through a long process of finding purpose and apt job for us.

Second postulate states that we tend to gravitate to occupations that are serving

our needs. This can be best explained through settling a job that can compensate more to

your needs. In early years of having a job, an individual might first look into the jobs that

can greatly satisfy their basic physical needs, people in early adulthood are prioritizing

jobs that can pay more so that they can cover the necessities in life such as bills, food,

and other basic physical needs. As they mature in the work force, people are searching

more jobs that can satisfy their higher order needs. Most settle on jobs where they can

find purpose and happiness. This is most common to the people in middle adulthood

where they are trying to plan for a retirement life when they enter late adulthood.

Moreover, the third postulate argues that it is not necessary for an individual to

have a high awareness of their needs in order to affect it in choosing their own careers.
This postulate is explaining to us that our needs are inevitable and that it will resurface

even we do not have enough knowledge in identifying them. One can look for higher

order needs satisfaction without a clear knowledge of what self- actualization might

require.

The fourth postulate of Hoppock’s theory tells us that, just like Savickas, our life

experiences contribute to the formation of patterns that will assemble into a life theme

which affects our preference in choosing an occupation. Our past experiences can teach

us lessons that motivates us to pursue a certain job or career path, and through the pattern

and formed life themes we will be able to identify the job that best suits us and gives us

optimal satisfaction.

Furthermore, the fifth postulate says the diversity of occupational choices can

affect the decision- making skills and self- awareness of the individual. There are

multiple career path that can unfold in front of an individual and it is up to the person to

create an effective decision- making to choose which career path can provide the most

satisfaction of both basic physical and higher order needs.

In addition, the sixth postulate states that proper self- understanding is the

foundation of an effective occupational choice. An individual who knows her/his

strengths, weaknesses, and limitations can easily have a comprehensive self- assessment

thus, creating or deciding on occupational choice is more effective.

On the other hand, the seventh postulate argues that understanding the self only

constitute to the half of the occupational choice process. This is for the reason that our

occupational choices are highly affected by the resources that are available to us. The

type of education, financial attainment, and many other factors can play a large role on

the choices made by an individual to satisfy the needs.

Furthermore, the eighth postulate states that when the job meets the needs of a

person, then the person will experience job satisfaction. The fulfillment of needs will

constitute to the satisfaction of a person on the current situation that she/ he is in, so if a
person receives satisfaction on the basic physical and higher order needs they can

eventually stay satisfied of the work that they are doing.

Moreover, an employee might stay in the job because they perceive the job as a

potential to satisfy their needs in the future. This is commonly known as investing on the

job, many people stick to the job or in the process of developing the job because they

think that it will satisfy all their needs in the future. This is the argument of the ninth

postulate of Hoppock’s theory.

Lastly, if there is an unbalance between the needs and its satisfaction, then the

person might resort or consider the change in the occupational choice and further explore

jobs that can give more satisfaction to their needs. This is inevitable due to the presence

of exploitation in the workplace. If an individual experience burn out and exploitation,

the satisfaction level for the job might decrease thus prompting the person to consider a

more satisfying job.

Hoppock’s theory can be best used in human resource to maintain the satisfaction

of the employees and decrease the number of turnover in the institution or company. As

counselors, we can guide the client through stimulating the self- awareness and helping in

clarifying what values are given priority by the client. Through guiding the client on the

values that they possess, the counselor can further guide the client to identify the personal

meanings embedded in their personal experiences, which will eventually give the client a

more comprehensive and accurate occupational information.

2. Identify the career development theory / approach which you would personally

espouse in addressing the following issues:

Finding a Purpose

Given this situation, I would use the theory of Career Construction by Mark

Savickas. His theory guides the individual through making them realize that our

experiences creates a pattern for our life themes. Through constructing or

deconstructing the ideas of the client I will be able to further identify the themes that
creates the bigger picture of career story. The process of reconstruction will then use

to guide the client in obtaining clarification on the themes of the career story. Lastly,

the coconstruction process will aide and make the client ready to face the new chapter

of the career story and face the purpose found from the in depth counseling process.

Too Many Choices

In this situation, I would consider using the theory of Anne Roe which explains

that the childhood experiences highly affect the personality of the individual which

will eventually become a factor in identifying the apt occupation. Through identifying

the type of child- rearing environment of the client, we can conclude the type of

personality, traits, and values that the client might possess.

This process can help the client in choosing from many occupational choices for

the reason that it can narrow down the choices to those that are most apt for possessed

skill and values. The classification that was created by Roe is of a great help to

further guide the client from having multiple jobs offers, and helping the client realize

to which field her/ his personality suites well.

Ageism in the Workplace

The theory that I would probably espouse in this kind of situation is the theory

developed by Donald Super. His theory clearly states several stages of career

development in which the human resource officer or counselor can use in addressing

the conflict of ageism in the workplace.

Through properly knowing the preference of people in different life stages. The

theory can address the conflict through identifying the motivational factors and needs

of the clients in a certain stage so that it can properly place the clients or employees

on positions that can satisfy their needs based on the stage of life that they are

experiencing.
Staying Current

In this situation, I would definitely use the theory of Robert Hoppock, which

tackles the level of job satisfaction in the workplace. In this modern era, employees

are searching more for occupations that can provide them satisfaction. So as a

counselor or human resource officer, it is important to know which trends are

considered important by the employees. The changing world must be also catered and

the needs of the employees must be monitored to lessen dissatisfaction inside the

organization. Using the 10 basic postulates of the theory, we can easily identify what

factors might help in making the employees satisfied thus, creating the organization

on trend for the needs of the employees.