Download COUN 5279Unit 2 Assignment: Career Counseling Theory Case St and more Lecture notes Accounting in PDF only on Docsity! Running head: CAREER COUNSELING CASE STUDY 1 COUN 5279 Unit 2 Assignment: Career Counseling Theory Case Study COUN 5279 Abstract Just as there are many different types of theories and theorists in counseling and psychology, there are several theories and theorists in career counseling. This paper will address John Holland’s Typology and how is applies to the given case study of Taneka. The purpose of Holland’s theory is that the person “chooses a career to satisfy one’s preferred modal personal orientation (Zunker, 2016, p. 27).” While Holland stresses “self-knowledge”, the key concepts behind his theory is that “individuals are attracted to a particular role demand of an occupational environment that meets their personal needs and provides them with satisfaction (Zunker, 2016, p. 27).” This paper will also evaluate and discuss the challenges that counselors may face when using this theory in practice. Unit 2 Assignment: Taneka Case Study John Holland is a psychologist who developed a theory based on personality styles, as well as other variable, affecting a person’s compatibility to certain careers. He believed that to find the perfect career fit, the personality style must match the career. The stronger the personality matches with the career, the stronger the likelihood the person would be satisfied with the career. Likewise, the less the personality matches, the stronger the displeasure would be. Holland believed that the client was the main source of information when it comes to learning about their interests (McCain, 2017). CAREER COUNSELING CASE STUDY 2 Holland’s created a theory of Modal Personality styles and their matched occupational environments. Holland matched these and listed them in a coded system, named RIASEC theory (Zunker, 2016, p. 28). RIASEC stands for the six different personality styles; realistic, artistic, investigative, social, enterprising, and conventional. Theory Identification and Application According to McCain, Holland’s RIASEC Theory operates under five assumptions. The first assumption is that Holland’s classification falls under the six different personality types. The second assumption states that while there are six different personality types, there are also six different environments which corresponding to the personality types. The third assumption relies on the idea that individuals search for a career environment where they can use their abilities and aligns with their interests. The fourth assumption states that individuals who match their personality and their work environment experience a highly job satisfaction than those who do not. The fifth assumption states that multiple people working together who are all of the same type creates an environment that fits their type and makes it more enjoyable (McCain, 2017). Holland’s RIASEC Theory includes six different personality types which aligns with specific career environments. Realistic personality types prefer concrete work tasks and typically enjoy hands-on or manual activities. These activities typically include, building, mechanics, or machine operation. This personality type generally prefers to work with objects as opposed to people and may lack social skills. Individuals of this personality type may feel uncomfortable with human relations. Occupational environments associated with realistic personality types include skilled occupations such as a plumber, machine operators, engineer or technician of various degrees (Johns Hopkins, n.d). CAREER COUNSELING CASE STUDY 5 her for being mature and responsible, Taneka self-acknowledges that she has a skill for dealing with people. Another challenge when using this theory for Taneka is her lack of experience. Taneka is merely 17 years old, is still in high-school, and has only recently been able to take on a part-time position as a salesperson. While it appears that Taneka enjoys her current position as a salesperson, it is not known if she has any other traits or activities that she enjoys doing that could align with a personality trait and therefore, an occupational environment. Therefore, it will be important for Taneka to complete an assessment to find what personality traits align with Taneka. One assessment that could be used is the Self-Directed Search (SDS) Assessment (Zunker, 2016, p. 32). This assessment would assist in finding Taneka’s true personality traits and which occupational environment she may enjoy and excel at. Conclusion John Holland believed that to find the perfect career fit, the personality style must match the career. The stronger the personality matches with the career, the stronger the likelihood the person would be satisfied with the career. Holland’s RIASEC Theory uses personality traits and aligns them with occupational environments to align a career field that matches a person’s skills and interests. Holland’s RIASEC Theory includes six different personality types which aligns with specific career environments. Utilizing Holland’s theory, a counselor is able to take the personality traits stated by the client to find which occupational environment is most suitable for the client. CAREER COUNSELING CASE STUDY 6 References Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. (n.d.) Holland’s Occupational Personality Types. Retrieved from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/fac_development/_documents/lisa_heiser_faculty_dev elopment_handout.pdf McCain, S. C. (2017). Why we work: An application of Holland's theory to meaning. Career Planning & Adult Development Journal, 33(2), 6–8. Zunker, V. G. (2016). Career counseling: A holistic approach (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage
