Culturally Competent Career Development
The career development theory I chose to dialogue about how it needs to be expanded
and revised to provide more inclusive descriptions of the career development experiences of a
diverse spectrum of people was the Personality Theory of Career Choice. Anne Roe developed
the Personality Theory of Career Choice from the personality theory and psychodynamic
orientation (Niles & Harris-Bowlsbey, 2017). Key constructs of Roe’s theory are early childhood
experiences, needs hierarchies, and field/level (Niles & Harris-Bowlsbey, 2017). Due to less
research support and minimal multicultural emphasis, I believe this theory is an excellent
candidate for expansion and revision so that more inclusive descriptions of the career
development experiences of a diverse spectrum of people can be included.
Due to Roe’s theory being based on almost an entirely retrospective nature, researchers
have hesitated to endorse the apparent generalized assumptions (Niles & Harris-Bowlsbey,
2017). While Roe strongly advocates that individuals choose their careers based on their
experiences with their parents in childhood, this idea has not been able to gather proper empirical
support. This is partly because Roe’s theory does not include a rationale for how socio-
demographic variables affect an individual’s career choice and upbringing (Nwawube, 2021).
Including the career development experiences of individuals who did not grow up in an
economically stable home is critical to include a more diverse grouping of people (Niles &
Harris-Bowlsbey, 2017). Roe’s lack of empirical support is also due to a lack of rationale for how
experiences outside of the home influence a child’s career journey (Yurita et al., 2021). Many
positive and negative influences on a child during the formative years of their life extend far
