Chapter 6

            Young, Valach, and Collin’s Contextualist theory maintains that “the actions of individuals are not caused by past or present events,” and that “career-related behaviors are goal-directed results of the individual’s construction of the context in which she or he functions” (Brown, 2016, p. 104). This contradicts an aspect of Krumboltz’s Happenstance Learning Theory in last week’s reading, which includes past life experiences as a factor that influences individual development and the career decision-making process. When theorists present such different theories, it is important that they back it up with research and examples to help show their point of view and why it should be considered by others. Young et al. (2002) have explanations for each part of their theory. For example, observable behaviors, the internal processes that cannot be observed, and the meaning or results as interpreted by the individuals and others who observe the actions are a goal-oriented series of behaviors that are guided by the individuals and the social contexts in which they are participating (Brown, 2016, p. 104). In this situation, not only is the individual involved in the process, but those around them are involved as well. This makes sense because, more often than not, the people in our lives observe the happenings and make their own interpretation of what is going on.

Another portion of their theory emphasizes that “the self is created in an ongoing, goal-oriented pattern that must be understood in the present” (Brown, 2016, p. 103). To me, this says that events that have taken place in the past or present do not necessarily have an effect on one’s self. The self is ever-evolving, and one explanation may never be settled upon. It is important to understand the current patterns and adapt to them and they progress. Past life experiences might not be used as an explanation for an individual’s actions, but Young and his colleagues do indicate that they will be used in another way. They theorize that it is essential for career counselors to be able to interpret their clients’ experiences and use that to help their clients find meaning in them. This process should allow clients to identify the concepts that are related to their career choices (Brown, 2016, p. 104).

            The second contextualist theory present in this chapter is that of Savickas and his Career Construction Theory. Savickas believes that the structure of self occurs mostly through a reflective process and that he views the self as either object, subject, or project (Brown, 2016, p. 105). The most interesting one to me was viewing the self as project. When put into the context of career development, this is saying that careers are a work in progress that will involve multiple starts and stops, continuous training and revamping, and, sometimes, instability. This holds true to many people. It is quite rare to enter into a career and have that career stay exactly the same the whole time someone is working in it. The self, in general, can be considered as a project, or “work in progress,” as well. Although Savickas’s view of self-construction varies from that of Young and his colleagues, there are also a few similarities. For example, the view of self as project relates back to Young et. al and how their belief is that the self is an ongoing pattern.    

 Reference:

Brown, D. (2016). Career information, career counseling, and career development (11^th ed.). New York: Pearson Education, Inc. ISBN 978-0-13-391777-2.