Blog 4

                                    Happenstance Learning Theory

According to Krumboltz there are four factors he has identified that influence the individual development, and the career decision making process and choice (Brown, D.,2007).

His first factor is genetic endowment and special abilities. Krumboltz does understand that research supports the view that inheritance plays a major role in the development of personality traits. Certain abilities can be inherited such as eye-hand coordination, musical and artistic ability, and physical coordination; but Krumboltz does not include the influence of inheritance on the development of interest, values, and personality traits such as introversion (Brown, D.,2007).

The next factor is environmental conditions and events. This factor incorporates the cultural and sociological influences that are out of the control of individuals; but those factors bear on them through their environment. These influences are either synthetic or a result of natural forces. Those conditions or events take a toll on the individual in the educational and career decision process. Some examples include the damage caused by an earthquake, social policies, educational systems, and community influences (Brown, D.,2007).  

The third factor that Krumboltz mentions is learning experiences. There are two are two types of learning examples; instrumental learning and associative learning. Instrumental learning includes situations where the individual acts on the environment that produce consequences. Associative learning are situations where individuals react to external stimuli by observing others, or pairing events in time or location. According to Krumboltz all previous learning experiences is what influences the individuals educational and career decision making (Brown, D.,2007).

Krumboltz last factor is task approach skills. These are skills that incorporate an individual’s performance standards and values. Task approach skills are applied to new tasks or problems that can include work habits cognitive processing, and coding. Using these skills affects the outcomes of each task or problem (Brown, D.,2007).

Individuals are always going through new learning experiences which are ultimately followed by rewards or punishments. Three consequences that are produced by learning experiences are self-observation generalizations, task approach skills, and actions.

In general people are born with genetic characteristics and as time passes individuals come across environmental, economic, social, and cultural events. People then learn from their encounters where they then build self-observations that they apply to new events or encounters. Successes and failures then influence the decisions individuals make; enhancing the likelihood of making choices that are similar to the ones whose outcomes meant success (Brown, D.,2007).  

Refernece

Brown, D. (2007). Career information, career counseling, and career development.