Week 2/ Chapter 2

Looking at the many disciplines that career development theories originated from, I believe that an individual’s personality and their work environment are essential when considering a career/profession.  According to Brown (2012), Holland’s Trait-Factor Theory is one that emphasizes how important it is for career counselors to consider a client’s personality when assisting them in their career development into an occupation. It appears as though one’s personality influences one’s career choice and if there is too much dissonance between one’s personality preference and work environment, then job satisfaction may be compromised, since they’re incompatible. Some careers involve a lot of person-to-person contact, and if one’s preference is to work alone or in a solitary environment due to a high score on the introversion scale, then one may feel uncomfortable and may not enjoy their job.

As a career counselor, developing an understanding of the skills and abilities necessary for certain occupations can be a beneficial guiding tool used when clients are exploring career pathways. Counselors have to be careful when using this information in way that doesn’t discourage clients from a career that they want to pursuit, because of the subjectivity of a counselor’s opinion that could dictate the advisement of an individual. The trait theory emphasizes the use of categorizing individuals based on personality types that are expressed by vocational and educational interests (Brown 2012). Through the use of instruments as well as the subjectivity of the counselor’s counseling direction, advisement in career development is difficult.  As a future therapist, it is important to relay information in a way that doesn’t affect the therapeutic alliance, where clients feel empowered to work towards a particular goal. From my personal experience, visiting a career counselor was very discouraging because every time I would meet with one, they always told me the profession I wanted to go was too difficult and wasn’t one they would suggest for me, given my abilities and my personality preference. In no way, do I believe counselors have the right to put negative ideas or words of discouragement when assisting clients in their career development. I just hope that future career counselor’s look at how much an impact their guidance has, and how important they use their theories in a way that benefits a client, and not for discouragement.

As a result, I do concur that a person’s work environment being congruent with one’s personality is of great importance in predicting one’s job satisfaction as supported in Holland’s theory (Brown 2012). However, I do believe that a lot of in congruences happen due to limitations of jobs available for people’s preferences. In other words, due to the economic recession a lot of people have had to work jobs that require skills that don’t line up with personal preferences, due to accepting jobs based on financial needs rather than interest/satisfaction.

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. 30). New York: Pearson Education, Inc.