Overview of Career Development Theories

Career Development is a “continuous lifelong process of developmental experiences that focuses on

seeking, obtaining and processing information about self, occupational and educational alternatives, life
styles and role options” (Hansen, 1976).

Put another way, career development is the process through which people come to understand them as
they relate to the world of work and their role in it.

It is imperative when educating our young people that our school systems assist and consider the
significance of this responsibility for our youth and their future. The influences on and outcomes of career
development are one aspect of socialization as part of a broader process of human development.

It brings you closer to your ideal job, skillset, and lifestyle. Career development is the process of self-
knowledge, exploration, and decision-making that shapes your career.

Having a goals for Career Development

  steps to learn relevant skills, expand your professional network, or find more satisfaction at work.

Why Study Theory?

Theories and research describing career behavior provide the “conceptual glue” for as well as describe
where, when and for what purpose career counseling, career education, career guidance and other
career interventions should be implemented.

The process of career development theory comes from four disciplines:

 Differential Psychology- interested in work and occupations

branch of psychology that deals with individual and group differences in

behaviour
Example: The study of individual differences includes evaluating how people feel, what they
want and need, and what they do

. Personality- view individuals as an organizer of their own experiences

-unique patterns of thoughts ,feelings and behaviors

 Sociology- focus on occupational mobility

Occupational labor mobility refers to the ability of workers to switch career fields in order to find
gainful employment or meet the needs of industry.

   Developmental Psychology- concerned with the “life course” “Theory is a picture, an image, a
description, a representation of reality. It is not reality itself. It is a way we can think about some part of
reality so that we can comprehend it” (Krumboltz) Career Development Theories for the past 75 years
fall into four categories:

1. Trait Factor - Matching personal traits to occupations-Frank Parson’s (1920’s)

2. Psychological - Personality types matching work environment- Holland (1980’s) 3. Decision -

Situational or Sociological- Bandura ( Self Efficacy-1970’s)
4. Developmental - Self Concept over life span-Super (1950’s)

John Holland's Theory of Career Choice (RIASEC) maintains that in choosing

a career, people prefer jobs where they can be around others who are like
them. They search for environments that will let them use their skills and
abilities, and express their attitudes and values, while taking on enjoyable
problems and roles
5 HOLLAND’S THEORY OF CAREER

DEVELOPMENT:

The Holland Codes represents a set of personality types

described in a theory of careers and vocational choice formulated

by psychologist JOHN L. HOLLAND .Holland's theory argued that

"the choice of a vocation is an expression of personality" and that

the six factor typology he articulated could be used to describe both

persons and work environments. His model has been adopted by

the U.S. Department of Labor for categorizing jobs relative to

interests. The Holland Codes are usually referred to by their first

letters: RIASEC. He present his theory graphically as hexagon.

The shorter the distance between their corners on the hexagon, the

more closely they are related. Holland's (1992) theory of career

guidance is based on four basic assumptions. The first assumption

is that most people can be characterized as one or a combination

of six personality types. Second, the theory assumes that the work

environment can be classified into the same six categories of

personality. Third the theory assumes that people seek out

environments compatible with their personality types. And, fourth,

the theory holds that particular behavioral patterns emitted in any
environments compatible with their personality types.
The six types are Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional . 

Realistic “ Do-er”

A realistic personality type enjoys using their hands and eyes to explore the world and
accomplish things. This individual likes doing outdoor, mechanical and physical activities and
occupations. They prefer working with things, such as objects, tools, machines, plants, and
animals rather than with ideas, data, and people

 Likes to work with animals, tools, or machines; generally avoids social activities like teaching,
healing,

and informing others;

 Has good skills in working with tools, mechanical or electrical drawings, machines, or plants and

animals;

 Values practical things you can see, touch, and use like plants and animals, tools, equipment, or

machines; and

 Sees self as practical, mechanical, and realistic.

Example Job:

Architect

Pilot

Engineer

Investigative – “Thinker”

Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas and require an extensive amount of
thinking. These occupations can involve searching for the facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Investigative people are intellectual, abstract, analytical, independent, and

task oriented. They like to observe, learn, investigate, analyze, evaluate, and
solve problems.
 Likes to study and solve math or science problems; generally avoids leading, selling, or persuading
people;

 Is good at understanding and solving science and math problems;

 Values science; and

 Sees self as precise, scientific, and intellectual

Example Job:

Psychologist

Business Analyst

Math Teacher

IT expert

Artistic - “Creator”

Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require
self-expression, and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

 Likes to do creative activities like art, drama, crafts, dance, music, or creative writing; generally
avoids highly ordered or repetitive activities;

 Has good artistic abilities -- in creative writing, drama, crafts, music, or art;

 Values the creative arts -- like drama, music, art, or the works of creative writers; and

 Sees self as expressive, original, and independent.

Example Job

Writer

Journalist

Painter

Musician

Social - “Helper”

Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These
occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

 Likes to do things to help people -- like, teaching, nursing, or giving first aid, providing information;
generally avoids using machines, tools, or animals to achieve a goal;

 Is good at teaching, counseling, nursing, or giving information;

 Values helping people and solving social problems; and

 Sees self as helpful, friendly, and trustworthy.

Example Job :

Social Worker
Guidance Counselor

Psychologist

Teacher

Enterprising – “Persuader”

Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting and carrying out projects. These occupations
can involve leading people and making decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal
with

business.

 Likes to lead and persuade people, and to sell things and ideas; generally avoids activities that
require careful observation and scientific, analytical thinking;

 Is good at leading people and selling things or ideas;

 Values success in politics, leadership, or business; and

 Sees self as energetic, ambitious, and sociable.

Example job:

Financial Manager

Lawyer

Advertising and Promotions Manager

Conventional – “Organizer”

Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedure and routines. These occupations
can include working with data and details more than ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to
follow.

 Likes to work with numbers, records, or machines in a set, orderly way; generally avoids ambiguous,
unstructured activities

 Is good at working with written records and numbers in a systematic, orderly way;

 Values success in business; and

 Sees self as orderly, and good at following a set plan.

Example Job:
Librarian

Web Developer

BURNOUT AND CAREER GUIDANCE:

4.6.1 Meaning of burnout:

First let us discuss about the concept of burnout. What is the

meaning of the term burnout?

Burnout is a psychological term for the experience of long-term exhaustion and diminished interest. It
should not be looked as a disorder but as Problems related to lifemanagement difficulty. The most well-
studied measurement of burnout in the literature is the Maslach Burnout Inventory.

Maslach and her colleague Jackson first identified the construct "burnout" in the 1970s, and developed a
measure that weighs the effects of emotional exhaustion and reduced sense of personal
accomplishment. This indicator has become the standard tool for measuring burnout in research on the
syndrome.

The Maslach Burnout Inventory uses a three dimensional description of exhaustion, cynicism and
inefficacy.

Many theories of burnout include negative outcomes related to burnout, including job function, health
related outcomes, and mental health problems. The term burnout in psychology was coined by HERBERT
FREUDENBERGER in 1974.

Psychologists Herbert Freudenberger and Gail North gave 12 phases of burnout, which are not
necessarily followed sequentially:

 A compulsion to prove oneself

 Working harder

 Neglecting one's own needs

 Displacement of conflicts (the person does not realize the

root cause of the distress)

 Revision of values (friends or hobbies are completely

dismissed)

 Denial of emerging problems (cynicism and aggression

become apparent)

 Withdrawal (reducing social contacts to a minimum,

becoming walled off; alcohol or other substance abuse may

occur)

 Behavioral changes become obvious to others

 Depersonalization (life becomes a series of mechanical

functions)

 Inner emptiness

 Depression

 Burnout syndrome

The signs can vary from individual to individual, but the following are some universal indicators that one
can use to determine if career burnout is occurring.

 Depression-Feelings of despair and sadness that last for weeks or months usually signal that
something in your life is not working like it should and is cause for an investigation into the cause –
potentially your job.

 Lack of energy-If individual experience constant fatigue throughout the day.

 Lack of desire-if an individual find that he just don‘t care if he is successful or not it‘s a warning that
the individual may have become burned out.

 Decreased productivity- if the productivity of an individual is decreased and he is not coming upto the
desired expected result.

 Increased absences and/or tardiness- if an individual finds every opportunity to skip out on work.

 Boredom-Occasional boredom in one‘s career is completely normal; however, pervasive feelings of

weariness and dreariness are not and are an indicator of potentialburnout.

 Anger/resentment in workplace-Frequently lashing out at coworkers and/or supervisors is

unacceptable under any circumstance. This behavior deserves immediate attention due to its potentially
abusive nature.

 Sleep problems-Insomnia or occasional fatigue can happen to anyone but are a cause for concern if
they become constant and a part of your everyday life. Sleep disturbances are your body‘s way of saying
it is overworked.

COPING WITH BURNOUT:

There are a variety of ways that both individuals and

organizations can deal with burnout. In his book, Managing stress:

Emotion and power at work (1995), Newton argues that many of

the remedies related to burnout are motivated not from an

employee's perspective, but from the organization's perspective.

Let us now discuss some of the common strategies for dealing with

burnout.

ORGANIZATIONAL ASPECTS:

Employee assistance programs (EAP)- Employee Assistance

Programs were designed to assist employees in dealing with the

primary causes of stress. Some programs included counseling and

psychological services for employees. But now a days it is less

utilized as compared to stress management training (SMT).

Stress management training (SMT).-Stress Management Training

(SMT) is employed by many organizations today as a way to get

employees to either work through stress or to manage their stress

levels; to maintain stress levels below that which might lead to

higher instances of burnout.

INDIVIDUAL ASPECTS:

Problem-based coping-Individual can cope with the problems

related to burnout and stress by focusing on the causes of the

stress. This type of coping has successfully been linked to

reductions in individual stress.

Appraisal-based coping-Appraisal-based coping strategies deal

with individual interpretations of what is and is not a stress inducing

activity.