Synchronicity

I thought that some of the points in this article were very relevant. I liked the idea of the holistic approach of combining the client’s interests, abilities, values, etc., and the person that the client envisions once they become ready to do so (Guidon & Hanna, 2002). Another section I really liked was the individualization (Guidon & Hanna, 2002). This process can give the client hope because it gets rid of the self- made limitations that many clients place upon themselves. They can “get rid” of the person they were and become someone they want to be.

            The idea of synchronicity is one that I find intriguing (Guidon & Hanna, 2002). If I understand it right, it reminds me of the saying that, “Everything happens for a reason”. Some things in life cannot be predicted, controlled or planned out, but they happen as they should, by chance. This idea, to an extent I believe is true, but in some ways I think that people act in ways to try and change their outcome. Sometimes people try to control the uncontrollable aspects and this can negatively impact the outcome.

            I really enjoyed the case studies that the article included because it helped to clarify the three different types of synchronicity (Guidon& Hanna, 2002). Reading all three types in the beginning of the article was a lot to understand but the case studies provided great examples of real life application.

            This article also related to the content we covered in class relating to the Minnesota Theory of Work Adjustment. The case studies demonstrated workers who were not satisfied in their work place due to its’ demands (Sarah), as well as those who were, but were not satisfied outside of the work place because of personal reasons (Dan). The worker and the work place need to work together in determining their needs in order to provide for the best outcome for both ends of the spectrum. The MTWA would be helpful for the three clients in the case studies because it would have allowed them to adjust to a new job appropriately.

            As far as the speaker, I enjoyed her idea about the living room discussions. I don’t know how realistic it is in the scheme of things just because many people may find reasons to avoid the issues at hand and move this idea to the bottom of their list. I think that the demonstration of the living room discussion went a little too long. I thought that she would give us a general idea of what it should look like and then move on with some more information. I thought her idea of humans coming together to discuss different issues, no matter how different their opinions were, was pretty impactful and a great goal for the country as a whole. 




References:

Guidon, M.H. & Hanna, F. J. (2002). Coincidence, Happenstance, Serendipity, or the Hand of God Case Studies in Sychronicity. The Career Development Quarterly. 50, 195-206.