Unpacking
Career Development Theory
Mary McMahon
The University of Queensland
Mark Watson
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
CEAV Professional Development Webinar
21 March 2012
Unpacking Career Development Theory
Introductory Comments
Theories in General
Applying Theory
Unpacking Career Development Theory
Introductory Comments
Unpacking Career Development Theory
“The field is over-abundant with theories that analyse
career development from a particular perspective or
generic counselling approaches that are applied to careers”
(Athanasou & Van Esbroeck, 2008, p. 707)
Unpacking Career Development Theory
The biggest concern voiced by practitioners is that career
development theories explain some pieces of vocational
behavior, but no client ever walks into an office with just
the exact piece explained by the theory.
(Swanson & Fouad, 1999, p. 8)
Unpacking Career Development Theory
Theories in General
Unpacking Career Development Theory
Where it all began: Choosing a vocation
1. Self-knowledge
2. World of work knowledge
3. “true reasoning on the relations of these two groups
of facts”
(Parsons, 1909, p. 5)
Unpacking Career Development Theory
Categories of theories
 Theories of content
 e.g., theory of vocational personalities and work environments (Holland, 1997) ; values based approach
(Brown, 2002)
 Theories of process
 e.g., Super’s (1990) lifespan life-space approach; Gottfredson’s (1984) theory of circumscription and
compromise
 Theories of content and process
 e.g., social learning theory of career development (Mitchell & Krumboltz, 1996); Social Cognitive Career
Theory (SCCT; Lent, 2005)
 Wider Explanations
 e.g., theories that account for the career development of neglected groups (Astin, 1984); ecological,
systems, and constructivist theories (Conyne & Cook, 2004; Patton & McMahon, 2006; Savickas, 2005)
Unpacking Career Development Theory
Questions?
Unpacking Career Development Theory
“Girls can be cowboys”
“No they can’t”
“Yes they can”
“Well … they can be cowgirls then”
(2 preschool boys)
McMahon, M. (2007). What will I be? EQ Australia, Winter, 8-9.
Unpacking Career Development Theory
“A bit about radio stations and stuff”
“An exploding cake”
(Neil, aged 9)
McMahon, Watson, & Bimrose, (2010). Stories of careers, learning and identity across
the lifespan: Considering the future narrative of career theory.
Available: http://www.icg-uk.org/c2/uploads/ier%20paper_july%202010%20_2_.pdf
Unpacking Career Development Theory
“The occasional lizard”
(Sally, aged 10)
McMahon, Watson, & Bimrose, (2010). Stories of careers, learning and identity across
the lifespan: Considering the future narrative of career theory.
Available: http://www.icg-uk.org/c2/uploads/ier%20paper_july%202010%20_2_.pdf
Unpacking Career Development Theory
“I really wanted to be on stage”
(Justin, aged 16)
McMahon, Watson, & Bimrose, (2010). Stories of careers, learning and identity across
the lifespan: Considering the future narrative of career theory.
Available: http://www.icg-uk.org/c2/uploads/ier%20paper_july%202010%20_2_.pdf
Unpacking Career Development Theory
Career development involves one’s whole life, not just
occupation. As such, it concerns the whole person
…More than that, it concerns him or her in the ever
changing contexts of his or her life… the bonds that tie
him or her to significant others … the total structure of
one’s circumstances ... Self and circumstances –
evolving, changing, unfolding in mutual interaction –
constitute the focus and drama of career development
(Wolfe & Kolb, 1980)
Unpacking Career Development Theory
Career development is:
Lifelong
Individual
Developmental
Contextually located
A learning process
Career transition is NOT a moment in time
Unpacking Career Development Theory
Questions?
Unpacking Career Development Theory
Applying Theory
Unpacking Career Development Theory
“So many factors affect vocational development, these
factors are so interdependent and interactive, and our
means of assessment are still so limited in nature, that to
confine appraisal to the use of a few tests, or to an
interview, or to a brief combination of these two, is to risk
getting an incomplete and unbalanced picture of the person
and of his prospects”
(Super, 1957, p. 305)
Unpacking Career Development Theory
A single-school approach to career counselling is becoming
less common, and is likely to be undesirable
(Kidd, 1996)
Unpacking Career Development Theory
Criteria for Choosing a Theoretical Framework
 The Practitioner: how a theory is in line with their own
views about human nature
 The Client: how far the theory seems to meet their clients’
needs
 The Situation: the practical constraints of the context
within which they practice
Unpacking Career Development Theory
Exploring Career Theory
The limited choice approach
 Stay with one or two models, which raises the questions of
which models and why
The common factors approach
 Identify the common features from different models that
seem to produce client gains
Unpacking Career Development Theory
Exploring Career Theory
Technical eclecticism
 Tease out the specific methods and techniques from the
various models that produce client gains
Theoretical integration
 Try to come up with your own, unique, integrative model
Unpacking Career Development Theory
Two Basic Rules of Career Counselling
1. Matching will be part of the process
“It has been argued that we need to accept that this is so
and to look more closely at these processes”
(Kidd, 1996)
2. Your client is at a certain developmental stage
“Counselling techniques and methods are more effective
when adapted to the client level of development”
(Jepsen, 1990, p. 136)
Unpacking Career Development Theory
Career development learning may be
intentional and unintentional
Unpacking Career Development Theory
“Just find out what happens”
(Abbey, aged 16)
McMahon, Watson, & Bimrose, (2010). Stories of careers, learning and identity across
the lifespan: Considering the future narrative of career theory.
Available: http://www.icg-uk.org/c2/uploads/ier%20paper_july%202010%20_2_.pdf
Unpacking Career Development Theory
Intentional Career Development Learning
Career education
Career counselling
Career information
Student education and training plans
Unpacking Career Development Theory
Intentional career development learning must be:
 Lifelong
 Individual
 Developmental
 Contextually located
To achieve successful outcomes it may require:
 Individual intervention
 Systemic intervention (e.g., with family, employers)
Unpacking Career Development Theory
Questions?
Unpacking Career Development Theory
Resources (easy reading)

McMahon, M., & Tatham, P. (2008). Career: More than just a job:
Career development understandings informing myfuture (2nd ed.).
Dulwich, Australia: education.au. Available:
http://www.myfuture.edu.au/en/Events/Feature%20Articles/The
%20booklet%20Career%20more%20than%20just%20a%20job.asp
x

McMahon, M., Watson, M., & Bimrose, J. (2010). Stories of
careers, learning and identity across the lifespan: Considering the
future narrative of career theory. Available: http://www.icguk.org/c2/uploads/ier%20paper_july%202010%20_2_.pdf
Unpacking Career Development Theory
Thank you
Enkosi
Baie dankie
[email protected]
[email protected]