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InitialTheoryApplicationandAnalysis.docxRunning Head: INITIAL THEORY APPLICATION AND ANALYSIS 1
INITIAL THEORY APPLICATION AND ANALYSIS 6
Initial Theory Application and Analysis
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
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Situation of the interviewee
June, a 31-year-old lady is the interviewee selected for this assignment. She was identified for this assignment because her case is a unique one in the field of vocational therapy. In fact, June is not at the traditional age for choosing career growth. Instead she has a fully established career. For the past seven years, June has worked as a Wall Street analyst. Since joining this analyst job, she has attained tremendous success. As a matter of fact, June has received several commendations from her superiors because of her big milestone. According to the superiors, she has amazing problem solving and analytical skills. In addition, June has been praised by her superiors because she has ability easily create rapport with other persons. These skills align well with the Wall Street analysis job and are considered as of great significance to the investment work.
Nevertheless, the organization in which June works for has not been left behind in recognizing her effort. The management has severally applauded June for her job performance. Besides being offered an attractive or executive remuneration, the organization keeps offering June many promotions. Both the high pay and promotions are aimed at keeping her in the workplace. Despite of June witnessing immense success in her current job, she feels burned out and she is actually thinking about a change of a career. Furthermore, going to work every morning has become a huge burden to June. As a result, she has requested a one-month leave in her workplace to reflect on her future career path.
Reflecting on her interests and personality, June loves socializing with people as well as helping them overcome their problems. As per interview, she was skilled and talented in Mathematics and Sciences. Consequently, while in high school, she could help her colleagues solve complex issue in those subjects. While at the college, she was a volunteer at a hotline call center where she counseled and guided callers. From these insights, it is evident that June has passion in social work where she can help people find solutions to their challenges. Her initial choice was to study psychology and counseling but this was met with full objection from her parents.
According to her narrations, it is her parents who influenced her to join finance and investment occupation. However, she is extremely unhappy and unsatisfied with this occupation and she is currently considering a complete shift in her career. Her goal is to move into a career where she can effectively apply her problem-solving and social skills to assist others. In addition, she is willing to return to school to realize this goal. However, she needs advice concerning potential vocations that would enable her to take the right choice.
Justification of application of career development theories to an interview
Social cognitive career theory (SCCT) and theory of work adjustment (TWA) are applicable in the context of the interviewee. Theory of work adjustment demonstrates the association of a person with his or her work setting (Dahling & Librizzi, 2015). Since the TWA was created to act as a guiding structure for an intervention of investigation in vocational psychology (Dahling & Librizzi, 2015), it is very applicable in June’s case. Work adjustment is an important element in the interview. This element is well covered in TWA thus making the theory suitable for the interview. Other vital elements addressed by TWA include job personalities and work environments, work compensation, job skills, and many others.
On the other hand, Social cognitive career theory was developed in 1994 by Robert Lent, Gail Hackett and Steven Brown (McIlveen et al., 2018). The theory is grounded on social cognitive theory developed by Albert Bandura and it explores 3 interconnected aspects of vocation or career development. These aspects include development of primary academic and vocation interests, making education and vocation choices, and achievement of academic and vocation prosperity (McIlveen et al., 2018). In addition, SCCT integrates a diversity of concepts like abilities, interests, environmental factors and interests which have been reported to impact vocation development (McIlveen et al., 2018). Most of these aspects are prevalent in June’s case. Therefore, SCCT provides useful insights to better understand the situation of the interviewee.
Analyzing the work and life career history of interviewee using career development theories
June performs financial and investment tasks at Wall Street. She has done this work for 7 years. Nonetheless, June has interacted well with her workplace and this has led to her gaining broad analytical and problem-solving skills that are essential for financial and investment work. The act of June being commended by her seniors as well as her workplace reinforces the efforts June is making. These aspects are in agreement with theory of work adjustment. Besides TWA conceptualizing work as an association between work environment and a person, it argues that in work environment particular functions must be performed and the person should bring the skills to undertake such tasks (Dahling & Librizzi, 2015).
TWA asserts that the employee should be compensated for work and the person together with work environment must continue to fulfill requirements for each other in order to maintain interaction (Foley & Lytle, 2015). June’s work place seems to be conversant with these requirements. For instance, June is highly compensated and the organization constantly presently a series of promotions to her. All these incentives are meant to keep June in the workplace. However, work adjustment which is important element in TWA is lacking in June’s workplace. The workplace is satisfied with June performance but June is not satisfied with the work environment. She feels that she is working in the wrong career.
Reflecting on SCCT, the work and life career of the interviewee seem to be consistence with the three interconnected aspects of career growth presented by the theory. According to SCCT, individuals are probable to become interested in, opt to pursue and do better at tasks at which they possess solid self-efficacy beliefs (Foley & Lytle, 2015). This assumption is true provided the individuals have appropriate knowledge and workplace support to follow these tasks. Self-efficacy beliefs, outcome expectations (Eesley & Wang, 2017), and personal goals are clearly reflected in June’s scenario. For example June developed interests in talking with people and helping them at tender age. As depicted from the interview, she has strong efficacy-beliefs to pursue her career path in helping people to solve their problems. This statement is supported by the act of June’s superiors to recognize that she has cautious analytical, social and problem-solving skills. June is not satisfied with the current job and this implies that she did not develop in interest in that field as posited y SCCT.
Applying career development theory to interests and preferences of the interviewee
According to the interview, the interests and preferences of the interviewee are talking to people and helping them improve their lives. In fact, she is considering shifting into a vocation where she can use her social and problem-solving skills rather than working in an environment where she is unhappy. There is strong evidence proposing that SCCT together with its main elements provide an important structure for explaining the development of educational and career interest, performance and choice making (Kantamneni et al., 2018). As a matter of fact, enough data has amassed to generate various meta-analyses significant to SCCT (McIlveen et al., 2018). The interviewee has demonstrated great interest and desire in joining a vocation where she can undertake her duties happily.
The insights of SCCT will provide a good framework to help the respondent transit from the present career to the new occupation smoothly. Indeed, I will relate the empirical findings of this theory to the actual challenges facing the interviewee. Substantial research has revealed that vocational-associated choices are greatly forecasted by interests (Kantamneni et al., 2018). Additionally, study shows that outcome expectations as well as self-efficacy beliefs to a lesser degree predict choices related to career.
Further research reports that interests are more probable to transform into goals. Similarly, goals have high potential to enhance choice behaviors especially when individuals encounter environmental circumstances that reinforce choice (Kantamneni et al., 2018). As a consequence, the decision of June to move into a new career path would be relevant and appropriate. As revealed by SCCT, she is capable of succeeding in social vocations such as guidance and counseling based on her interests.
References
Dahling, J. J., & Librizzi, U. A. (2015). Integrating the theory of work adjustment and attachment theory to predict job turnover intentions. Journal of Career Development, 42(3), 215-228.
Eesley, C., & Wang, Y. (2017). Social influence in career choice: Evidence from a randomized field experiment on entrepreneurial mentorship. Research Policy, 46(3), 636-650.
Foley, P. F., & Lytle, M. C. (2015). Social cognitive career theory, the theory of work adjustment, and work satisfaction of retirement-age adults. Journal of career development, 42(3), 199-214.
Kantamneni, N., McCain, M. R., Shada, N., Hellwege, M. A., & Tate, J. (2018). Contextual Factors in the Career Development of Prospective First-Generation College Students: An Application of Social Cognitive Career Theory. Journal of Career Assessment, 26(1), 183-196.
McIlveen, P., Perera, H. N., & Blustein, D. L. (2018). Using the psychology of working framework and the social cognitive career theory to build a research team. Postgraduate Education in Higher Education, 557-570.
