KRUMBOLTZ’S

SOCIAL
LEARNING AND
PLANNED
HAPPENTANCE
THEORIES
JOHN KRUMBOLTZ
– Is an established career theorist
– He most recently developed ideas about
supporting indecision in clients
KRUMBOLTZ’S
PLANNED
HAPPENTANCE
THEORY
– He states that indecisions is desirable and sensible, as it
allows the opportunity for clients to benefit from
unplanned events.
– This emerging theory specifically addresses the need for
people to deal with change within the rapidly changing
labor market.
– Krumboltz’s theory offers insights on how to deal with
the limited degree of control we have over some career
experiences
At the core of this theory is the fact that unpredictable social factors, change
events and environmental factors are important influences on client’s lives.
As such, the counsellor’s role is to help clients approach chance conditions
and events positively. In particular, counsellors foster in their clients:
– Curiosity to explore learning opportunities
– Persistence to deal with obstacles
– Flexibility to address a variety of circumstances and events
– Optimism to maximise benefits from unplanned events
Krumboltz states that people with these qualities are more likely to
capitalize on chance events and turn serendipity into opportunity.
Furthermore, several factors have been highlighted as being helpful in
career management, including:
– The commitment to ongoing learning and skill development
– Ongoing self-assessment
– Assessment and feedback from others
– Achieving work-life balance
– Financial planning to incorporate periods of unemployment
KRUMBOLTZ’S
SOCIAL
LEARNING
THEORY
– Shows how individuals make career decisions that
emphasizes the importance of behavior (action) and
cognitions (knowing or thinking) in making career
decisions, teaching clients career decisions
techniques and how to use them and examines four
basic factors to understand why people choose the
work they do as well as other occupationally related
decisions
GENETIC ENDOWMENT
– Those aspects of individual that are inherited or innate rather than learned such
as physical appearance, predispositions to illnesses.
ENVIRONMENTAL
CONDITIONS AND EVENTS
– SOCIAL FACTORS
– EDUCATIONAL CONDITIONS
– OCCUPATIONAL CONDITIONS
LEARNING EXPERIENCES

TWO BASIC TYPES

1. Instrumental learning experiences
– THREE COMPONENTS:
– ANTECEDENTS
– BEHAVIORS
– CONSEQUENCES

2. Associative learning experiences

TASK APPROACH SKILL

– How someone approaches a task depends on previous experiences and

influences the outcome of the task
CLIENT COGNITIVE AND
BEHAVIORAL SKILL
– SELF-OBSERVATION GENERALIZATIONS ABOUT ABILITIES
– SELF-OBSERVATION GENERALIZATIONS ABOUT INTERESTS
– GENERALIZATIONS ABOUT THE WORLD
COUNSELOR BEHAVIORAL
STRATEGIES
– REINFORCEMENTS
– ROLE MODELS
– ROLE PLAYING
– SIMULATION
COGNITIVE STRATEGIES FOR
COUNSELING
– GOAL CLARIFICATION
– CONQUER A TROUBLESOME BELIEF
– COGNITIVE REHEARSAL
SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY GOALS
FOR CAREER COUNSELING

– EMPHASIS ON LEARNING
– FACILITATE THE LEARNING OF SKILLS
– INTERESTS
– BELIEFS
– VALUES
– WORK HABITS
– PERSONAL QUALITIES
APPLYING PLANNED HAPPENSTANCE
THEORY TO CAREER COUNSELING

– PLANNED HAPPENSTANCE
taking advantage of chance events in one’s life
– Counselors help clients recognize and incorporate chance events into their lives,
as well as generate such events
– Planned happenstance theory is positive and encouraging
( it replaces indecision with open mindedness)
FIVE SKILLS THAT ARE HELPFUL IN
DEALING WITH CHANCE CAREER
OPPORTUNITIES
– CURIOSITY
– PERSISITENCE
– FLEXIBILITY
– OPTIMISM
– RISK TAKING

The goal of counseling in dealing with planned happenstance is to initiate a

learning process that encourages curiosity and helps clients to take advantage of
unplanned events.
FOUR STEPS TO PLANNED
HAPPENSTANCE THEORY
– STEP 1: Normalize planned happenstance in the client’s
history.
– STEP 2: Assist clients to transform curiosity into
opportunities for learning and exploration
– STEP 3: Teach clients to produce desirable chance events
– STEP 4: Teach clients to overcome blocks to action.
THE ROLE OF OCCUPATIONAL
INFORMATION

– ASSESSMENT IS NOT MENTIONED, BUT CAN BE USEFUL.

– VALUES INVENTORIES CAN BE HELPFUL WITH PLANNED
HAPPENSTANCE.
– INTEREST INVENTORIES AND ABILITY AND APTITUDE TESTS CAN BE
USED.
– KRUMBOLTZ’s CAREER BELIEFS INVENTORY CAN BE USED AT MANY
POINTS IN CAREER DECISION MAKING PROCESS.
APPLYING SOCIAL LEARNING
THEORY TO WOMEN
– WOMEN HAVE SOME CONTROL OVER THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL FORCES
– FEMALE ROLE MODELS IMPORTANT FOR WOMEN
– UNPLANNED EVENTS IMPORTANT IN THE LIVES OF PROMINENT WOMEN.
APPLYING SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY
TO CULTURALLY DIVERSE POPULATION

– NOT MUCH RESEARCH

– CULTURE VARY AS TO WHICH OCCUPATIONS THEY GLAMORIZE OR VALUE
– CULTURES VARY AS TO VALUE SUCH AS INCOME OR SPIRITUALITY THAT THEY
ATTEND TO
– COLLECTIVE ACTION CAN CHANGE DISCRIMINATORY ENVIRONMENTS
– COUNSELORS CAN HELP CLIENTS DEAL WITH DISCRIMINATORY ENVIRONMENTS
COUNSELOR ISSUES
ELI GINBERG
THEORY OF
THREE STAGES
IN PERSON’S
CAREER
DEVELOPMENT
FANTASY
(BIRTH-11 YEARS OLD)
– During this stage, children primarily engage in
playful acts, simulating occupations such as fire
fighter, police officers, race car driver, etc.
– Ginberg believed children transition from playful
imitiation to work imitation near the end of the
stage
TENTATIVE
(11-17 YEARS OLD)
There are four stages in this period
– INTEREST
– CAPACITY
– VALUES
– TRANSITIONS
REALISTIC
(17-EARLY 20s)
– During this stage, the person establishes alternative
paths on her work life, or a “back-up plan”
– THREE STAGES
– EXPLORATION
– CRYSTALLIZATION
– SPECIFICATION