Sassaman--Ch. 6

Blog: Ch. 6 & Guidon & Hanna Article

Thus far in the course, I have understood and connected the most with Savickas’ constructivist career counseling theory.  And after this week’s supplemental article “Coincidence, Happenstance, Serendipity, Fate, or the Hand of God: case studies in synchronicity”  about synchronicity, I can say that I struggle with this theory.  I have a hard time understanding the importance of the subject dream and/or vision.  I usually try to understand the theories by applying them to my own life and experiences, but I could not with this because I’ve never experienced this on any level.  I was under the impression that dreams were pretty unreliable and unrealistic.  This article is suggesting otherwise.  I think a person can have a subjective part that doesn’t come about in a dream, but perhaps comes about consciously through another way.  I think I would have appreciated another case study where the client didn’t have a dream vision, but perhaps another subjective experience.  It makes it see mas though that’s the only way synchronicity is obtainable, and I just don’t think that is the case.  I am really wondering if there are other experiences (excluding dreams) that the researchers would consider a subjective experience. 

Conversely, Chapter 6 discusses Savickas’ Career Constriction Theory, highlighting the three conceptual theories of self: (1): self as a subject, (2): self as an object, and (3): self as a project (Brown, pg. 105).  In his model, the subjective part does not come from an unconscious dream state, rather how the client tells their own life story, and the themes they can find from that life story.  From there, clients and counselor can work to find career that may better suit the client and their values.  I find this a lot more understandable and potentially more helpful to future clients than the idea of synchronicity.  Though other modern theorists dislike the use of the objective self, I still think it can be useful.  In fact, this is perhaps one of the only similarities I saw between the two theories.  In the Junger theory, they promote the idea that we need to “approach career counseling holistically,” (Guidon & Hanna, 205).  As a future career counselor, I think that a holistic approach is necessary.   Although I find it difficult to understand how dreams can be relevant, I will have to work to consider them if clients bring them up as important to them.  Just because I’ve never experienced this, doesn’t mean it can’t be useful to some clients. 

References

Brown, D. (2016).  Career information, career counseling, and career development, (11th ed.). Chapel Hill, NC: Pearson. 

Guidon, M. & Hanna, F. (2002).  Coincidence, happenstance, serendipity, fate, or the hand of god: case studies in synchronicity.  Career Development Quarterly 50(1), 195-208.

Savickas, M.L. (1995). Constructivist counseling for career indecision. Career Development Quarterly, 43(1), 363-373.