Week 2

Gibson’s article (2005) was useful in demonstrating the most effective genogram processes and techniques, as well as the optimal stages of development in which to implement these techniques. Gibson was also able to help clarify the function of genograms, as it was not overtly apparent to me. Genograms help illuminate values and patterns within a family system in terms of career choices. Through this, a student may begin to examine various influences, opportunities and family pressures that may have impacted their career aspirations. Through this examination, we hope students will be able to approach their potential career choices with greater self-awareness. I enjoyed reading about this process because it allowed me to reflect on my own personal development. I can’t remember specifically if I was ever asked to produce a family tree, or to reflect on patterns within my family prior to college. The only recollection I have is taking a career aptitude test around middle school and discovering that evidently, I was best suited to be an accountant. I stored this information in the back of my mind and even enrolled in an accounting course in high school to see if it was really true. I don’t believe it was. I continued to feel ambivalent about my future. I knew I would go to college but I had no direction or specific interests in mind. It is interesting to reflect upon how our paths led to where they did. Several variables played into my entrance into the psychology major, and even more so into a clinical psychology graduate program. All of these variables relate to opportunity, mentors, and personal experiences and influences. In some ways, I feel that my being here is largely related to convenience and chance. I believe I would have greatly benefitted from further exploration of potential job opportunities with a career counselor, or at the very least engaging in some sort of assessment that alluded to my strengths and interests. Perhaps that’s what the aptitude test was intended to do.

As a senior in high school, I took a psychology course but I rarely participated or was engaged in the coursework. I entered college feeling like I still had very little knowledge about psychology. As a freshman, I took the obligatory psychology course but this time, I approached it with renewed interest. I believe in many ways this related to a personal desire to develop a greater understanding of human behavior as it related to my personal life and those whom I knew that struggled with emotional regulation. I have always been fairly introverted however, begging me to question Holland’s Theory of Vocational Choice (Brown, 2012). While I realize probably few people fit very neatly into Holland’s personality types, I find myself in a social field of work despite my introverted and introspective nature. Naturally this observation is fairly complex. While I am a self-proclaimed introvert, I still find that I relate well to others and have the ability to be nurturing, cheerful, and compassionate.

 

Brown (2012) discussed how many career theories are not applicable to the general population as they have been tailored to describe the experiences of white, middle-class men. Career development varies among the population, especially in terms of groups’ experiences, social injustice, underrepresentation, and socioeconomic struggles. This creates obvious complications when attempting to compose a universally inclusive theory of career development.

 

References

Brown, D. (2012). Trait-and-factor and developmental theories of career choice and development and their applications. In Career information, career counseling, and career development (10th ed., pp. 24-58). New York: Pearson Education, Inc.

 

Gibson, D. M. (2005). The use of genograms in career counseling with elementary, middle, and high school students. The Career Development Quarterly, 53, 353-362.