Gysbers (2003) proposes that the value of career theories comes from providing practitioners with a framework to examine client behaviour, help understand the possible meanings of or explanations for the behaviour and subsequently, enables them to identify and respond to clients’ goals or problems. Significantly then, such theories may help explain an individual’s vocational behaviour, such as their initial career choice or later aspects of career development. This essay attempts to identify the theoretical framework that will underpin my guidance practice in the future.
Initially, the guidance and client context is identified, with reference to their age group, diversity and need for careers guidance. This is followed by theories of
Next, theories of career development and career decision-making are described to identify how they inform my guidance practice.
As Kidd (2006) identifies, ‘the idea of person-environment fit (or the degree of ‘congruence’ or ‘correspondence’ between workers and their environments) has been the main framework for understanding occupational choice and career decision making over the last century.’ (Kidd, 2006 p.13.)
Despite criticism that a great deal of career theory and literature focuses too much on what occupation/type to enter, at the expense of returning to employment or making career development decisions for instance, for my clientele this ‘matching’ approach may be helpful to identify possible future career choices or to help with decisions such as what route to take after statutory education.
‘Personality matching theories, suggest that individuals select work environments which represent a ‘way of life’ and are consistent with their personalities. In this way a choice of occupation is an expression of that person’s motivation, knowledge, personality and ability.’ (Foskett and Hemsley-Brown, 2001 p.177.)
One such theory is Holland’s Career Typology Theory of Vocational Behaviour. Kidd