Blog 4

            The Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) is one of the more interesting theories that we have read about in my opinion. The part of this theory that is particularly appealing to me is the emphasis on the interaction between the people and their environment, as well as the importance of self-efficacy and context (Brown, 2016, p. 91-92). Being a psychobiology major in undergraduate study, I have always been fascinated with the debate of nature versus nurture and how these variables play out in regards to different aspects in the development of an individual. One of the very first things that we learn in psychology and biology in regards to this debate is that it is not usually a one-sided coin, but rather nature and nurture work in concordance. I believe that this can be seen in SCCT, specifically in regards to the self-efficacy beliefs. According to Brown (2016), “Self-efficacy beliefs are dynamic, ever-changing self-perceptions that individuals hold about their abilities to perform particular tasks (p. 91). In the central propositions of the SCCT, Brown (2016) further explains how these self-efficacy expectations and outcome expectations work in tandem to help form interests, intentions and/or goals, and activities which will all lead to some sort of performance outcome (p. 92). As I analyzing the diagram provided by Brown (2016), I could not help but to think how it looked extremely similar to the gene expression diagrams that I had learned about in undergraduate study (p. 92). In the gene expression diagrams, an individual starts out with certain genetic predispositions, and based on these predispositions, the person will expose themselves (or not expose themselves) to different situations, have certain interests, participate in certain activities, etc, which will all then lead to an outcome that will again influence the gene expression by either exasperating or dampening it. It is a cycle, just similar to the cycle regarding self-efficacy in SCCT.

            I also really appreciated how chapter five in Brown (2016) addressed the socioeconomic theories in career development. In analyzing the career development of any individual I think that it is important to put it in the context of the sociological variables that surround a person. The dual labor market theory is one that I had never heard of before this class and I think that it offers an interesting twist on how to look at careers, although it has been critiqued for being too simplistic (Brown, 2016, p. 99). Having a job at a peripheral location for the past 10 years, I can attest to some of the challenges, such as they’re not being a lot of room for upward mobility in the company (although I am an exception to this) (Brown, 2016, p. 99). However, I would disagree with that all peripheral companies make no long-term commitment to their employees (Brown, 2016, p. 99). I think that many individuals who are in this work environment can experience commitment from a company to be hired back for their seasonal or temp jobs, or to be called back in when they are called upon.

References

Brown, D. (2016). Career information, career counseling, and career development. United States of America: Person Education, Inc.