Vocational Psychology

Class 1
Vocational psychology is the science that studies the ways and reasons for an individual's vocational behavior.
that is, how and why the individual behaves vocationally in a certain way - integrates a process
of assistance to the subject - in vocational choice, as well as in the effort they put into their life project and in
shape how you manage your career.
In addition to the information, since the person themselves participates in the decision-making process.

The vocational psychologist intervenes in the resolution of problems and in decision-making related to
work is the act of working, seeking to improve the psychological well-being of individuals.

Scientific theories and common sense theories

Theory of Chance
Being in the right place and at the right time. "The experiences provided by chance explain, without a doubt
"some, the process that determines the choice of a profession in most situations."

Economic Theory

Notion of advantage to the concept of vocational incentive or values of work.

Intrinsic incentives (satisfaction)

Extrinsic incentives (rewards and prestige)
Concomitant incentives (conditions and advantages)
Theory of the Social

Social variables in vocational stimulation and behavior

Culture;
Subculture;
Community;
School;
Family.

Parsonian Model, the first step towards the PV

Vocational choice under the analysis of two factors consisting of three phases:
The analysis of the individual
2. The analysis of the profession
3. And the establishment of a relationship between the data of the two factors.

Understanding vocational choice based on Differential Psychology

the differentiation of individuals by psychological traits;
- avaliação psicométrica permite o conhecimento dos aspetos psicológicos que caraterizam o individuo;
logo, it is possible to predict with greater or lesser margin of error the probability of professional success.

Profession and individual - two static realities. Vocational choice occurs at a specific time and in a
punctual form. The intellectual and socio-affective maturation of the young person with decision-making problems is ignored.

Critiques and Reflections

- main critique: assessment method (historical assessment)

reflexes (psychological examination):
- despite the criticism, for 50 years the career choice has been conceived as occurring at a certain
time is selectively, as a result of the conjunction of two realities understood as static, beyond
to continue to be an element of the guidance/counseling process.

Change of Perspective
Outline of developmental theory
The career choice is a long-term process that starts in childhood and ends at the end of
adolescence and at the beginning of adulthood;

they defend the existence of a close relationship between the choice process and personality development.
Decision-making process - 3 development stages: fantasy, attempts, and realistic.

From vocational choice to career building

Until the 1950s, the main objective of vocational guidance was the choice of a profession and professional success.
as the most important references are the needs of professional structures, while preferences or the
values of the individual in the background.

The role of the advisor was...

Frank Parsons (1909)

clear understanding of oneself;

-knowledge of the demands of professions;
the need for a true understanding of the relationships between these two aspects.

Advisor
analyzes the individual's capabilities and compares them with those required by the profession and chooses the
profession that best fits.
Characteristics of the approach

importance of measurable attributes as predictors of vocational success: the psychology of differences

individuals - underlying the method of determining aptitudes, namely professional ones;
The conception of vocational choice is essentially non-developmental and values historical aspects, not
dynamic and immediate decision making
decision

the guidance was limited to

moment of the individual's life that
precede the entry for the job.

Behavior in the career is inserted

in human development. The
choice and vocational guidance
are seen as a process
developmentalist.

Individuals choose professions

whose characteristics allow them
play a consistent role
with your self-concept and, by your
sometimes, the concept of oneself is a function
from your own story.
The change of expression highlights the importance of study in the scope of the orientation of various objects:

Decision making free time

car concept free and informed choice
lifestyle flexibility
values capacity to deal with change

Adolescence – adult career behavior Change of objectives

Life Designing
The career belongs to the person and not to the organization.
O modelo de construção da vida para entender a carreira fundamenta-se em 5 pressupostos acerca das pessoas e
their work lives:
possibilities associated with
context;
dynamic processes;
non-linear progression;
multiple perspectives;
individual patterns.

Descriptive Approach
the vocational adjustment process is a function of the agreement between: individual traits and requirements or
characteristics of the profession;

the vocational choice process as a function of the adjustment between psychological characteristics/traits
individuals and the requirements/demands of the professions;

various structural or Trait and Factor models, namely, Parsons' descriptive model.

Psychodynamic approach
the choice of a profession is a function of the degree of satisfaction of needs or drives, the mechanisms of
defense involved, of the nature and expression of the bonuses;
-highlights the satisfaction of unconscious needs;
integrate the theories, for example:

. Bordin, Nachmann, and Segal (1963) focus on the relationship with instincts, impulses, and needs of
individual
. Roe (1964) states that the first satisfactions and the first frustrations of a child determine the directions in
that will channel psychically - people or things.

Developmentalist Approach
DV is a dynamic and evolutionary process that extends from childhood to adulthood (throughout life),
it is organized, predictable and trainable, vocational maturity is essential for career choice and adaptation;
describes the processes of evolution of choice throughout life stages, emphasizing the concepts of development
and vocational maturity;
performance of tasks - stages - maturity - choice - job satisfaction.

Behavioral Approach
 - resorting to social learning theories (reinforcement and modeling) to explain vocational behavior, by
that a career option is a function of these principles.

Lesson 2 - Psychological Theories of Vocational Behavior

Trait and Factor Theory

Framing of theoretical foundations
Combination of two phases: on one hand, knowledge of professions will allow for a rational and informed choice.
On the other hand, the development of factor analysis will allow for the organization of skills with professions.

After 50 years, the Trait and Factor theory emerges - choosing a profession according to personality: congruence.
profession-personality.
Postulates of Trait and Factor Theory

Each individual has a unique set of traits that can be validly measured.
2. For workers to succeed in their profession, they need to have certain traits (demand)
the professions);
3. Choosing a profession is a process that is quite clear and straightforward, and it is possible for there to be a
correspondence between individual and professional occupation;
4. The greater the correspondence between the characteristics and the demands of the job, the greater it will be.
probability of success (productivity and satisfaction).
Trait - descriptive characteristic of personality, the constitutive attributes of personality.
Stability of traits - more or less stable to
from a certain age;

Objective assessment of traits–probability of

to behave in a certain way.

Limitations
Can we evaluate these traits safely?
we cannot forget that there are sources of error;

there is a certain subjectivity in an evaluation that is intended to be objective;

For this reason, the psychologist may incorrectly advise many people.

Application
Williamson structures the counseling process in six stages: analysis, synthesis, diagnosis, prognosis,
counseling, continuation.
The test for evaluating the general aptitudes of an individual is the GATB - General Aptitude Test Battery.

Theory of Work Adjustment (TWA)

This theory presents the same postulates as the Trait and Factor theory, but its object of study is work.
Each individual seeks to find and maintain a correspondence between themselves and the environment they are in.
inserted. Therefore, in the individual's satisfaction in the profession, the goal is not the understanding of the choice process,
but to foresee the duration of the work.

Work personality: abilities, interests, and values.

The structure of personality is different from the style of personality.

The dimensions of interaction are speed, level of activity, pace, and endurance.

1. The adjustment to work, at any time, is evidenced by the satisfaction and by the satisfaction that
the individual causes at work;
Satisfaction is the function of the correspondence between individual capabilities and demands.
requeridas pelo ambiente de trabalho, fazendo com que os padrões de reforço do ambiente de trabalho
correspond to the individual values;
3. Satisfaction is a function of the correspondence between the reinforcement patterns of the work environment and those of
valores dos indivíduos, de forma a que as capacidades individuais correspondam às capacidades exigidas
through the work environment;
4. Satisfaction moderates the functional relationship between satisfactoriness and the required skills.
correspondents;
5. Satisfaction moderates the functional relationship between satisfaction and the reinforcement of values associated with it.
correspond
The probability of an individual being forced to leave their workplace is inversely
correlated with individual satisfaction;
7. The probability of an individual voluntarily leaving their job is inversely proportional to the
individual satisfaction;
8. The retention in the workplace is a joint function of satisfactory performance and satisfaction;
 9. The correspondence between work personality and work environment increases due to
staying in the job position;
The correspondence between the personality style of the worker and the style of work environment shapes
the predictions of adjustment to work, derived from the correspondence between the structure of personality
of the worker and the structure of the work environment.

The dimensions related to adjustment style, essential for describing behavior aimed at achieving and
maintain the individual's correspondence with the environment:

. Flexibility - refers to tolerance, the mismatch with the environment before the individual
do anything to increase this correspondence;
. Activity - reduce discrepancies by working to change the environment;
. Reactivity - reducing discrepancies by acting on oneself in order to modify expressions of
structure of your personality;
. Perseverance - to tolerate the discrepancies with the environment before abandoning it, which indicates the strength of
desire to stay.

Application
- tests for assessing the needs of the subject - MIQ (Minnesota Importance Questionnaire)
scale to assess satisfactory aspects – MSS (Minnesota Satisfaction Scales)
tests to assess worker satisfaction - MSQ (Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire)
test for assessing the required aptitudes - OAP (occupational aptitude patterns)
- test for evaluation of the reinforcement system offered - ORP (occupational reinforcer patterns)
Limitations and criticisms

very simple theory

professional maintenance may not be related to satisfaction but to other factors.
Synthesis and evolution of TWA

The theory emerged from 4 basic concepts: capabilities, reinforcement of values, satisfaction, and correspondence between the
person and the environment;

It is one of the theories that has sparked great interest among researchers and has been repeatedly reviewed;

Use the concepts of adjustment and interaction.

Teoria de Holland–RIASEC Model

The choice of a career results from the congruence between the profession and the individual's personality type;

- 6 tipos de personalidade: realista, investigador, artístico, social, empreendedor e convencional;

The construction of personality results from the interaction between the individual (inheritance, experiences) and the environment.

Holland Model
Structural-interactionist
Typological-interactionist
Individual differences of personality types:
Spranger (1928) considerable similarity with the 6 types of personality he described;
- Murray (1938) defines behavior based on the need-pressure paradigm
. personal needs - types of personality
. environmental pressures - environmental models in theory
Fundamental assumptions
In our culture, most people can be classified into one of the following types of
personality: RIASEC
There are six types of environments: RIASEC
People seek environments that allow them to put their skills and abilities into practice.
express attitudes and values and assume pleasant statuses and roles;
4. Behavior is determined by the interaction between the person and the environment.

The 6 fundamental concepts of Holland's theory

The choice of a profession is an expression of personality;
2. The inventories of interest are personality inventories;
3. Professional stereotypes have important psychological and sociological meanings and are worthy of
trust;
4. Members of a profession have similar personalities and also similar histories of
personal development
Because people in a professional group have similar personalities, they respond to
in the same way as many situations and problems, and create characteristic interpersonal environments;
6. Satisfaction, stability, and professional fulfillment depend on the congruence between personality.
of the individual and the environment (composed mainly of other people) in which he works.

Interaction results
-forecast some outcomes: vocational choice,
professional changes, career success or even
of educational and social behavior;

forecasts dependent on the degree of consistency,

differentiation, identity, and congruence;

profile of interests described by the established code

by the three main types ordered by order
decreasing, the first is defined as dominant.
Tipo Realista
Characteristics of personality: interest in objective, orderly, and systematic activities over problems.
which require practical thinking, physical strength, and motor coordination at the expense of relationships
interpersonal;

values: values practical spirit, assigning special importance to concrete things or characteristics
tangible personal qualities, as well as ambition and self-control. Possessor of a very closed value system.
he reveals himself to be somewhat resistant to change and limited in his range of interests, preferring to work in environments
controlled.

-traços de personalidade: conformista, dogmático, genuíno, inflexível, materialista, natural, normal, persistente,
practical, realistic, and reserved.

- environmental characteristics: characterized by concrete demands of a physical or mechanical nature, such as,
manipulation of machines and tools without a strong focus on teamwork.

Research type
Personality traits: interests in intellectual and academic activities that require analysis.
deepening situations and the use of analytical and inventive capacities at the expense of concrete solutions
about the problems;

values: values self-determination and independence seeking to be intellectual, logical, and ambitious. Attributes
particular importance to family safety and true friendships. Holder of an open system
of values manifests itself open to new ideas and beliefs, as well as reveals a vast field of interests;
-traços de personalidade: analítico, cauteloso, complexo, criativo, curioso, despretensioso, independente,
intellectual, introspective, pessimistic, precious, radical, rational, reserved, and withdrawn;

- environmental characteristics: characterized by requiring thoughtful responses, using abstract thinking

and creativity. Not appealing as a significant interpersonal relationship, but rewards people with
high scientific value.

Artistic type
- personality traits: interest in activities where they can highlight their individuality and
creativity, strongly associated with the expression of your feelings and emotional states to the detriment of
systematized activities;

- valores: valoriza a experiencia estética, a auto expressão e a igualdade para todos. Portador do mais aberto
The value system proves to be very open to the feelings and ideas of others, manifesting a true liberal.
of beliefs, of objectives and of imaginative and courageous values;

- traços de personalidade: aberto, complicado, desordenado, emocional, expressivo, idealista, imaginativo,

impulsive, independent, introspective, intuitive, unconventional, original, somewhat impractical, and sensitive;

- environmental characteristics: characterized by requiring imaginative responses, with the use of aesthetic sense
of things, to the personal interpretation of feelings, ideas, and facts. It does not require a permanent involvement
with the tasks but, often, quite intense.

Social type
-personality traits: interest in social activities related to education and health, connoted
with the expression of the sense of cooperation and humanity, empathy and well-being of others at the expense of
problem solving of an intellectual nature, namely, appealing to mathematical skills.

values: values social issues, activities, and ethical problems seeking to help others.
Believes in equality for all and wishes to be useful and forgive, disregarding the logical, intellectual being or having a life.
exciting. Aspires to become a competent family member and reveals religious beliefs.

-traços de personalidade: agradável, amigos dos outros, cooperativo, cheio de tacto, compreensivo, cordial,
empathetic, genuine, kind, idealistic, patient, persuasive, responsible, helpful and sociable;

environmental characteristics: require the use of interpretation and modification capabilities of

human behavior, appealing to the development of verbal and interpersonal skills
interpersonal.
Entrepreneurial type

personality traits: interest in leadership and supervision activities associated with power, the
to persuade and manipulate others for political, economic, or organizational purposes;
values: defends traditional values associated with economic and political aspects attributing
places particular importance on opportunities for freedom to control others and reveals itself to be ambitious. Disregards the
to be forgiven and aspire to leadership positions, public influence, and to be treated well by others.

- traços de personalidade: aventureiro, ambicioso, assertivo, auto confiante, dominador, desembaraçado,

energetic, enthusiastic, exhibitionist, extroverted, expedient, optimistic, and sociable.

- environmental characteristics: characterized by tasks that require verbal skills to direct, supervise or
plan activities.

Conventional type
personality traits: interest in activities involving systematization and manipulation of
data strongly related to the use of computer means to the detriment of less important tasks
systematized and spontaneous or that appeal to artistic capabilities;

values: values achieving large amounts of work, believing in their skills for the areas
commercial and financial for the benefit of a comfortable life. Holder of a very closed value system,
characterized by traditional virtues associated with conservatism, religiosity, economic life and
politics considers aesthetic aspects and social interaction as modern values;

- traços de personalidade: cuidadoso, conformista, consciencioso, controlado, dogmático, eficiente, inibido,

methodical, obedient, orderly, persistent, practical, somewhat unimaginative and rigid.

environmental characteristics: require concrete, systematic, and routine responses, associated with treatment
computer scientist of mathematical or verbal data.

Critiques
it does not tell us anything about the determinants that influenced the decision-making;
reductionist typology of personality;

different professional interests than

theories of personality;
does not explain the development of
interests;

does not explain the development of

personality in its influence on the process
of vocational choice;

disparate circumstances can lead to

same result;

satisfaction does not depend only on

individual-profession congruence;
not considering many relevant factors for vocational choice.
Differences and similarities
-different from trait-factor theory since it says there are various types of means and various types of personality,
a logo for the individual to feel good requires congruence between the individual and the profession;

-Crites (1969) significant relationships between personality types and choices;

Holland adopts the vocational maturity concept of Super (1957) and Cristes (1971) identifying it with the
a more general notion of psychological maturity.

Anne Roe's Psychodynamic Model (1957)

psychoanalytic conception of vocational choice: importance of affective relationships between parents and
descendants during early childhood;
analytical trend (clinical):

Psychic energy that will influence the individual in an occupational group;

2. Initial experiences of satisfaction and frustration of children (and parents) determine, in a way
unconscious, the vocational choice.
Theory of basic needs
Part of a psychodynamic approach that incorporates Maslow's needs.

There are certain demands from the person themselves to satisfy these needs (unconscious and with function)
motivadora), a sua satisfação determinará o comportamento do individuo.

2. Types of parental attitude and their influence

Theory based on the combination of intensity and the nature of interpersonal relationships conceptualizes the
behaviors between parents and children in various forms:
emotional concentration on the child, with attitudes of overprotection or excessive demands by the parents;
emotional rejection of the child manifested by attitudes of neglect and abandonment;

attitude of acceptance of the child.

Casual or normal (warm/affectionate) or demanding.

3. Types of career choice (Anne Roe's hypothesis)

Based on parental attitudes, Anne Roe hypothesizes that there are two types of orientation:
the orientation towards people;
the orientation towards non-people or things
Analysis of the type of parent-child relationship identifies the existence of 3 determining factors (2 bipolar and 1
unipolar):
1. Dedication (acceptance) / rejection
2. Casual/demanding
3. Manifest Attention

Conclusion of Anne Roe

Study of family experiences:
people raised in warm family environments tend to orient themselves vocationally in the direction of
people (for example, professions of the supportive type) while educated people in family environments
cold, your guidance is directed towards things (scientific professions, for example).

2 professional groups and levels

Services Sciences
Psychologist Researcher
Crites (1969) on A. Roe Social worker Nurse
Police Chief X-Ray Technician
Theory can be formulated according to 2
Police, barber Veterinary clinic assistant
premises and 1 proposition: '
Taxi driver, coffee employee Non-spatialized personnel
1. Premise - the attitudes of parents (acceptance,
rejection or emotional concentration on the child) relate predominantly to the orientation
individual's vocational inclination towards people or things...
2. Premise –the predominant orientation for people or things relates to the field of choice
professional ....
Proposição–então, as atitudes dos pais relacionam-se com o campo da escolha profissional.
Critiques and limitations

Very simple theory - hypothesis too simple for a problem too complex.
Studies conducted contradict the assumptions of A. Roe.
. Most studies do not confirm that the first experiences of frustration and satisfaction have
influence on career choice
inadequate conduct of the studies
A. Roe talks about the core or family environment, not specifically a father or mother.

merit of alert to what happens before the age of 10-11, even if the hypothesis is not valid
the importance of the identification mechanism in directing interests has been confirmed, however, favoring more
the focus of social learning by "models" which the psychoanalytic notion of "identification".
non-confirmation of the vocational choice theory as a means of satisfying basic needs
The authors of psychodynamic orientation point out few recommendations regarding the applications of their theories.
in the vocational counseling process

Application
In various intervention models:
Career Development Pyramid (choice results from 4 components):
. Self-concept
. Specificity of professions
. Lifestyle
. Type of parent/child relationship
Instrument based on A. Roe
California Occupational Preferences Inventory (COPS)

The theory of space and career life course (Super, Savickas and Super, 1996)

Donald Super's Theory of Vocational Development (1951)

Influence of various authors:
Buehler (behavioral criterion);
Ginzberg (study of the stages of life and the stages of vocational development):
the fantasy (4 to 10 years old)
the attempt (11 to 17 years old)
a realist (from adolescence to adulthood): includes the periods of exploration, crystallization and
specification.
Vocational development - throughout life, a person exhibits different behaviors in
in relation to the profession, having gone through clearly defined stages in preparing, choosing, entering, and adjusting
to work.
Concept of profession for Super

A profession is a set of similar activities and tasks that usually require training.
determined and that every individual can pursue throughout their life, one or even several professions.
Thus, professional careers can be stable, traditional, unchanging, or comprised of multiple experiences. In
meanwhile, every individual before pursuing a profession occupies the roles of student or learner which are
pre-professionals.

Synthesis of the theory

The theory of life space and life course in career development, despite its segmented nature, is
however, one of the most comprehensive and complex theories of contemporary career.
Fundamentally, the theory distinguishes itself from other approaches to vocational behavior by having since the
first moment handcuffed a perspective of development facing the choice of an occupation as
a process that unfolds over time, and not as a static and punctual event. The emphasis of
the theory is placed in the continuity of human development and impacts the progression of choice, entry,
adaptation, and transition to a new choice throughout the entire life cycle.
Fundamental premises or assumptions:

1. People differ in terms of their abilities and personalities, needs, values, traits, and self
concepts.
2. People are qualified, by virtue of these characteristics, each for a certain number of
occupations.
3. Each profession requires a characteristic pattern of skills and personality traits, with levels of
sufficiently broad tolerances to allow for a certain variety of occupations for each
individual as well as some variety of individuals in each occupation.
4. The preferences and vocational competencies, the situations in which people live and work, and
therefore, their self-concepts change over time and experiences, although self-concepts
 as products of social learning become increasingly stable from late adolescence and
during the years of adulthood, thus providing some continuity in choices and in
adaptation.

The professional choice would imply that the individual had a clear self-concept, as their fulfillment and satisfaction
In work, they would depend on the way in which that allows him to be what he is or wishes to be.

Processes of exploration and the development of self-concept

Exploration processes initiated in childhood that become more complex over the course of life, through
auto differentiation of the self;
In adolescence, he transfers the image he has of himself to a specific profession, starting
exploratory and confrontational mechanisms between their capabilities and professional demands, which it
will provide identification with certain adult professional models or with the most common professions
valued by society;
In a later stage, they strive to achieve the realization of the self-concept in professional activity.
chosen, as the congruence between occupational valuation and self-concept determines the election and
professional satisfaction.
5. This process of change can be summarized in a series of life stages (maxi-cycle) characterized
as a sequence of growth, exploration, establishment, maintenance, and divestment, and these
stages can in turn be subdivided into periods characterized by development tasks. A
the minor cycle takes place during the transitions of a stadium to the next or every time the
the career of individuals is destabilized by illness or disability, reduction of labor force by
employer, social changes in human resource needs, or other social events
economic or personal. These unstable or multi-trial careers involve recycling again
growth, re-exploration, and re-establishment.
6. The nature of the career pattern - that is, the occupational level reached and the sequence, frequency, and duration
Stable job opportunities are determined by the individual's parental socio-economic level.
mental capacity, education, skills, personality traits (needs, values, interests)
and self-concepts), career maturity and the opportunities to which one is exposed.
7. Success in facing the demands of the environment and the organism embedded in this context in any one.
of life stages, depends on the individual's readiness to deal with these needs (that is, their
career maturity.
8. Career maturity is a psychosocial construct that denotes the degree of vocational development of
an individual along the continuum of life stages and the sub-stages of growth up to the
disengagement. From a social or societal perspective, career maturity can be defined
operationally through the comparison of the development tasks that are being encountered with
those expected based on the chronological age of the individual. From a psychological perspective, maturity
The career can be defined operationally by comparing the resources of an individual, both cognitive
As affective, to deal with a task, acts with the necessary resources to master that task.

So the concept of vocational maturity (1957) is based on the principle that more mature individuals
make more realistic vocational decisions, given a greater stability of psychological characteristics and
achieve better results and greater satisfaction in the exercise of the profession. What underpins the proposal of
vocational development of Super and Crites (1957), which advocates that each person, throughout their life,
occupies different positions in relation to professions in a sequence of stages that start in childhood and
ends in old age, integrating the stages of chronological growth by Buehler: growth, exploration,
establishment, maintenance, and decline.
Thus, vocational maturity is presented as being related to a set of variables, such as
as intelligence, the vocational aspirations of the individual, namely among the degree of congruence between
personal aspirations and family expectations, the very professional activity of the parents, or even,
with school results and the quality of cultural stimuli. On the other hand, it is less associated with the
age of the individual or personality traits.
9. Development throughout the life stages can be guided, partly by facilitating maturation of the
capabilities, interests, and coping resources, partly helping with reality testing and development
two self-concepts.
10. The career development process is essentially about developing and implementing the self.
occupational concepts. It is a process of synthesis and commitment in which self-concept is a product
of the interaction of inherited aptitudes, physical constitution, opportunity to observe and perform various
papers, and the evaluations of the extent to which the performance results of papers align with the
approval of supervisors and peers.
11. The process of synthesis or compromise between the individual and social factors, between self-concepts and the
reality is a process of role performance and learning with feedback, whether the role
be performed in fantasy, in the consultation interview, or in daily life activities such as in
classes, clubs, part-time work, and entry-level jobs.
12. Job satisfaction and life satisfaction depend on the extent to which the individual finds
suitable outputs for capacities, needs, values, interests, personality traits, and self
concepts. Satisfactions depend on establishing oneself in a type of work, a work situation, and
a way of life in which a person can play the role that the experiences of growth and
exploration led to consider congenital and appropriate.
The level of satisfaction that people achieve at work is proportional to the degree to which they have been capable.
to implement the self-concepts.
14. Work and occupations provide a focal point for the organization of the personality of the majority of
men and women, although for some individuals this focus is peripheral, incidental or even
nonexistent. So other focuses, such as leisure and domestic activities, may prove to be
centers.

Space of life, course of life, and the self

Graphically, Super created the Rainbow of

carrier. It has two primary dimensions,
courses of life and space of life, or
in short, time dimension
longitudinal) and space (latitudinal dimension).
i) The latitudinal dimension - the space of life
reveals the theaters and the roles of life.
ii) The longitudinal dimension, the life course,
describe the stages of life and delimit them from
in a way that they match with childhood,
adolescence, adulthood, middle age, and old age.
iii) The integrator of experience, the self is the third segment of the theory. The self-concepts allow for accounting.
from the individual's subjective perspective on their career and supplementing the objective perspectives
(vocational identity) of your values, interests, and occupationally relevant talents.

Living space
Dimension referring to the context in theory. Denotes the constellations of the social positions occupied and the roles.
performed by an individual.

The role of work, although it is a critical role in contemporary society, is just one among many.
roles that an individual occupies. 'While earning a living, people live a life.'

Three important concepts about the space of life: structure of life (the arrangement of social elements that
constitute life in a pattern of central and peripheral roles); interactions of roles (the description of
interactions between the roles. These can be extensive or minimal, supportive, supplementary, complementary
or neutral) and redesign (the occasion for the redesign can be predictable - transition from school to work - or
imprevista, desenvolvimental ou traumática -desemprego involuntário.)

Life course

This segment focuses on career development - the course of life adapting to work and
working conditions. Graphically, the course of life is represented in the outer band of the career rainbow.
and considers the main stages of life, its normal but not unchanging sequence and approximate ages
from your location: growth or childhood, exploration or adolescence, establishment or young adulthood,
maintenance or adult mid-life, disengagement or advanced age.
i) Growth (0 to 14 years)

The child's vocational self-concept begins to develop through multiple processes, such as the
identification. This stadium includes four development tasks: start to care about the future,
increase personal control over one's own life, convince oneself of the importance of succeeding in school and in
work, and acquire competent work habits and attitudes. Although the needs expressed through the
fantasies are important at an earlier age in these stages, interests and capabilities will
progressively gaining a dominant role.
ii) Exploration (15-24 years)

It extends from adolescence to the beginning of adulthood. During this stage, individuals explore their
próprio self, os papeis ocupacionais das outras pessoas, e o mundo do trabalho. Fontes de dados sobre o auto
vocational concept is the contacts with others, activities, experiences, and the performance of roles in
house, at school and at part-time work. Initially, occupational choices are experimental and rehearsed.
in fantasy, in conversations with others, and through role experimentation. In the transition phase, the
considerations of reality become more important as the young person seeks to implement the self
vocational concept. This is followed by a period dedicated to testing the implementation of self-concept in
chosen occupation. Crystallization, specification, and implementation of vocational choice are the main
tasks of this stadium.
iii) Establishment (25-44 years)

Problems related to trials and 'wandering' may arise as the young adult searches
to gain secure vocational self-concept. There may be job changes, which can lead to
discovery by the person of their life of work or being precursors of a series of new jobs.
As the self-concept becomes more solid, one observes an effort to move forward and to establish a
safe place in the world of work. This stadium requires that stabilization tasks be fulfilled,
consolidation and advancement in occupational position.
iv) Maintenance (45-64 years)
The individual will likely be well established in their vocational self plan and the crucial task may
is less about opening a new path than about successfully preserving an existing self-concept. However,
new challenges may arise. Generally, the maintenance phase is a period of enjoyment and self-
realization. However, for those who were not able to stabilize in a suitable occupation, the stage of
maintenance can be experienced as a frustration. This stage includes the development tasks of
to preserve, care for and innovate.

v) Disengagement
Involves the tasks of career development for:
deceleration;
retirement planning;
and life as a retiree.

The main task is probably to adapt to a new self through changes in the self-concept.
existing, preparing for the embrace of new life habits.

In summary, living space and life course can be used as coordinates based on which
we will be able to recognize the individual's current status and from which we can project their trajectory of
career.
SOCIOCOGNITIVE SOCIAL THEORY OF
CAREER
Background of the theory

Bandura's socio-cognitive theory is directly at the base of the SCCT. The latter can be considered a
theoretical extension of the principles and socio-cognitive mechanisms to the sphere of vocational behavior or of
career
The social learning theory of career decision making;
Application of the self-efficacy construct to career behavior.

SCCT–subject as an active agent (self-

determination

People "help" to establish their own

career results;
Your beliefs play a key role in
process
They are not just the result of
intrapsychic characteristics or aspects
situational;
Behavior is flexible–susceptible

4 basic positions of interactionism

1. Behavior results from multiple interactions. The individual is influenced by the environment and, at the same time,
modify it
2. In the process of interaction, the individual is an active agent who has intentions and pursues goals;
3. On the individual's side, affective and cognitive factors are essential determinants of behavior;
4. On the side of the situation, it is the psychological meaning of the situation that constitutes the dominant in the determination of
behavior.

Main theoretical principles

 The personal determinants of career development include central variables:
1. Sense of competence - self-efficacy;
to believe that I am capable – I organize and execute a set of actions necessary to achieve a
determined type of performance (Bandura, 1986);
contributes to determining the choices of activities and environments, the individual's investment for
determine the set objectives, the persistence of your efforts, and the emotional reactions he may have
when faced with obstacles;
From a socio-cognitive perspective, self-efficacy is neither unitary nor fixed;
The feeling of competence is strongly associated with affective performances;
the introduction of competencies sentiment in interactionist models aims to explain the formation of
professional interests and school choices.

Processes of self-efficacy determination

Successful experiences - when they are not random or too easy;
The observation of the other—when the model is competent and resembles the individual;
Verbal persuasion - strong expressions from other credible sources, reaffirming that the objectives are
concretizable
The emotions, whether good or bad, associated with a certain achievement.

physiological indices verbal persuasion apprenticeship past achievements

vicarious

2. Outcome expectations
Personal beliefs related to the consequences or results of performances;
It involves the imagination of the consequences of behaviors;
Expectations of results are acquired through similar experiences.

3. Personal objectives (goals)

Defined as the willingness to perform a specific activity or as the particular effect of an outcome
future (choice and performance goals);
The definition of personal goals organizes, guides, and supports the individual's behavior;
Objectives constitute a critical mechanism of behavior;
The behavior is influenced, but not determined, by environmental phenomena and by
personal conditions.

The authors of the TSCC intend to describe how socio-cognitive variables (self-efficacy, expectations
of results and personal objectives) interact with other individual characteristics (gender, race, etc.), with the
relevant aspects of the context (social support, training opportunities, etc.) and with the learning factors and
experience.
TSCC
Emphasizes nature
relatively dynamic
the variables referring to
to individuals and to
contexts;
Searching to explain how individuals are able to change, develop, and regulate their
behavior over time and in various situations.
Implications
Individuals and life contexts are likely to respond favorably to vocational intervention;
In a logic of permanent updating of individual attributes and modification of contextual factors,
with the ultimate goal of optimizing vocational development.

Model of Interest Development (Lent, Brown & Hackett, 1994)

Os interesses são definidos como atrações ou rejeições por atividades relacionadas com as escolhas escolares
the professionals:
Interests are determined, at the same time, by the feeling of competence (would I be able to?) and by the
result expectations (if you do this...);
2. Expectations result from the learning that the individual has accomplished (personal characteristics vs contexts)
specifics;
3. From the first draft of interests, the individual defines the objectives and begins the actions for the
to materialize;
Both the definition of objectives and the execution of activities depend on skills.
and the expectations;
5. The activity produces results that will lead, through feedback, to a modification of the feeling of
competence and expectations of the results.

Implications of TCSS
Develop and modify the feeling of competence (self-efficacy)
Create successful personal experiences in areas where the client has undervalued their measures.
of performance;
Promote the reconsideration/reformulation of past experiences;
Encourage the reinterpretation (updating) of past successes and failures;

Overcome barriers
É difícil traduzir interesses em objetivos e estes em atividades se prececionarmos barreiras intraponiveis:
Help to identify and characterize barriers to achieving career goals;
Evaluate the likelihood of encountering these barriers;
Identify support instances (family, friends, school).

Broaden interests and ease the choice

The interventions must focus not only on the interests, values, and skills of the student, but
also in the cognitive bases of these characteristics;
 It is necessary to ensure that self-efficacy is relatively consistent with the
skills/abilities;
- And that career expectations are supported by relevant information.

Contextualist Approaches to Career

All these perspectives emphasize the importance of the dynamic interaction between the individual and the context in
change in the explanation of vocational behavior.
Vondracek and Porfeli (2008) reaffirm the relevance of the contextualist approach to career, as it is about a
theoretical framework in constant evolution.

career formation and development can only be fully understood from a perspective
relational that affects the dynamic interaction between a change ( ) individual developing in a
context of change.
Three key elements stand out: the individual, the context, and the interaction between them.
Assumption - what matters is not the elements as such, but their relations.

Individuals are conceptualized as agents of their own development;

- O ambiente é concebido como um conjunto de contextos, de diferentes níveis, em permanente mudança.

Essential concepts
Structural fitting of the contexts
 2. Dynamic interaction (the individual is the producer of their own development)

The changes observed at one level depend on those occurring at other levels;
Considering its characteristics, each system defines the range of possible changes;
Plasticity is greatest at the beginning of life;

It is a stimulus for others, who in turn send you certain stimuli;

Affective and cognitive treatment of information related to the world;

You are the agent of your own transformation.

3. adjustment of the individual and their contexts

The individual interacts with mutable contexts;
Does not act in a predetermined and always identical manner;

Each context is particular and each individual is unique.

Key concepts

The adaptation is not a simple search for a suitable context;

The contexts are multiple;
Contexts are the subject of a construction by the individual.

Implications
According to Solberg, Howard, Blustein, and Close (2002), the developmental-contextual perspective
it inspires a more holistic view of career development and suggests mainly interventions
systemic.

CONSTRUCTIVIST APPROACH TO CAREER

 Constructivists argue against the possibility of an absolute truth, asserting that the
the construction of an individual of reality is built from the inside out through thought
of her own and her way of thinking and processing.
These constructions are based on individual cognitions in interaction with perspectives formed from
the person-environment interactions.
Constructivism sees the person as an open system in constant interaction with the environment.
seeking stability through ongoing changes.

Theory of Career Construction (Mark Savickas - 2005)

Update and enrich Super's (1996) vocational development theory, adapting it to
phenomena of multiculturalism and globalization.

how each person can negotiate

how to match the How to advance in your career? a life of task changes
workers at work? (mid 20th century - Super) without losing your self and
(Parsons, 1909) 1957 social identity? (Savickas,
2005

Currently, depending on the client's needs, vocational psychologists can apply different
career services:
Career guidance to identify professionals to apply;
Education to foster the career of professional development;
Career counseling to design a work life.

Each career intervention is valuable and effective for its intended purposes.
Objective: to explain the interpretative and interpersonal processes through which individuals attribute
meaning and direction to your vocational behavior;
Integrates 3 perspectives of vocational literature:

Differentialist (vocational personality)

Developmentalist (adaptability)
Psychodynamics (themes of life)
Settle:
Personal constructivism: emphasizes individual agency in career development;
Social constructionism: emphasizes the contextually situated interpretations of each individual.
Careers are not unfolded; they are built like the individual choices that express your self-
concept and underpin the goals in the social reality of their work functions. (Savickas, 2005).
Career Construction Theory 'views making a self as a task'

Subjective Career
-Denota uma perspetiva em movimento que impõe o significado pessoal sobre memorias do passado,
present experiences and future aspirations through weaving that portrays a theme of life;
The subjective of the career that guides, regulates, and sustains professional behavior results from a
active process of meaning construction, not discovering preexisting facts.
A subjective career emerges from the thought or mental activity that builds a story about the
life.
According to Patton & McMahon (2006)
-Conteúdo (o que)
Process (or how)
-Because
Key components
Vocational Personality
Individual career reports skills, needs, values, and interests. The interests, aptitudes, and
values are dynamic processes that represent possibilities and not stable traits capable of predicting
the future.
Career Adaptability
Psychosocial aspects, a construct that denotes an individual's availability and resources to cope with
the current and imminent tasks of professional development, professional transitions, and traumas
personal.
According to Savickas (1997), the term adaptability suggests flexibility in responses to the environment, without the
negative connotation of expressions like adjustment or accommodation.

Career adaptability occurs at the interface between the self and the social expectations of the community.
place to the individual.
 Dimensions yes adaptability
career
Concern
Control
Curiosity
Trust
Cooperation
They represent the strategies
more abstract, than the
individuals use to cope
with the tasks and the transitions
that they find along the
career.

Attitudes, Beliefs and Competence (ABCs)

They will shape the concrete behaviors used to overcome, solve, and negotiate the different
tasks or career transitions.
Attitudes and beliefs - Determine individuals' predisposition to respond in a certain way.
way;
Competencies refer to the ability to solve problems and, in this sense, they will shape the
vocational behaviors;
-Behaviors-(coping) the visible part of adaptability.

Themes of Life
It addresses the topic of work-life and focuses on the reasons for professional behavior. Thus, despite
the importance of content and the process of the career (what and how), the dynamics of career construction
it is only complete when we consider the reasons for the choices, which are revealed in personal narratives about
the transitions that each individual faces.
By narrating the recurring interactions between the self and society, life stories (careers) end up explaining
why the individual makes the decisions they make and what personal meaning underlies them
choices.
-Tema–padrão tecido por uma ideia recorrente que ajuda a dar sentido a uma determinada sequencia
of events.
They say how the 'self-concept' of yesterday became the 'self-concept' of today and will become the 'self concept'
from tomorrow. Thus, the psychologist should visualize the life story as an asset in an attempt to make sense.
and shape the future.
Synthesis:
Savickas sought to integrate the 3 classic segments of vocational literature into his theoretical model:

1. Individual differences;
2. Development tasks and coping strategies;
3. Psychodynamic motivation
Savickas (2011)
The global economy raises new questions about work-life—especially how individuals can
to negotiate a life of work changes without losing one's social identity and sense of self?
Long term - work; short term - projects.
Today it is increasingly difficult to understand a career with theories that emphasize stability instead of
mobility;
To better help clients design their lives in the 21st century, many professionals have transformed their
practices
Vocational suggestion guide and career education with career counseling in the post-
modernity
Instead of developing a career, today individuals have to manage their own careers.
Career construction emerged as a response to this question: how can individuals negotiate changes
in the career?
career counseling
a) Career building through small stories;
b) Deconstruct and reconstruct the small stories into a big story;
c) Construct of the next episode of the story.