Behavioral Self-Control and Career Development

Abstract

A broader view of the career problem and the counselor's role through teaching clients behavioral self-ccntrol techniques is offered in this paper. Preliminary discussion includes a review of existing vocational theories and research, in paridcular, Holland's typology ancl Super's self-concept theory. It is concluded from these reviews that the practical problems in career counseling will not be solved by continuing to use the currently prevailing correlational methods. Instead, the authors suggest that several major changes of focus are needed and present a social learning model of career selection as a perspective for self-managed change (behavioral seAf-control). Self-control is viewed here as a series of specific, cognitively mediated actions that a person uses to regulate and alter situation'S, including the cognitive environment, so that desired change takeS'place. Major concepts and techniques for teaching and learning self-control skills are discussed, stressing four broad areas of commitment, awareness, restructuring envia=ments, and evaluating consequences .and standards. A case study using these techniques is examined. Areas of needed research in the area of career counseling are suggested. (TA) One of the most important things counselors do is help people find intelligent solutions to life's major questions. Selecting a career is one such question. The seemingly simple steps of career decision-making encourage many to see the process of helping others to make vocational decisions as far simpler than to overcome anxiety, depression, or other more ambiguous difficulties. Yet trying to make career related decisions in a systematic fashion can involve stressful and personally threatening experiences--ones that we often avoid by letting things "take their natural course".The stress and turmoil experienced in selecting careers and pursuing vocations have been dramatically portrayed by Studs Terkel (1974) in his book Working. Many persons interviewed by Terkel presented themselves as ad.ift in jobs that they somehow got into--jobs that they now find depressing, discouraging, and debilitating. Those not fatalistically resigned to their "career" appear anxious to do something else. But what? And how? Career choice today is rapidly becoming an on-going itif:long process as people demand greater fulfillment from werk, as more men change their careers in mid-life, as wamen re-enter the job market, and as workers discover that there is no longer a need for their skills. Counselors are finding that men and women of all ages need help in making changes for which they are unprepared. Many people (perhaps most) rarely make explicit, systematic choices about how to spend their working lives. "Deciding by What can people do to change their vocations?3 Careers 2 not deciding" is more norm than exception. Economic factors, family pressures and other environmental influences ("I just happened to be at the right place at the right time . . .") limit opportunities for systematic decision-making. In addition, most peopl...

A Decision-Making Model Applied to Career Counseling

“…The former primarily involves micro-counseling techniques such as paraphrasing to ascertain whether career counseling or some other intervention is more applicable. Additionally, Thoresen and Ewart (1976) suggest cognitive restructuring and outcome psychodrama to enhance commitment and motivation to proceed through the decision-making steps. OleksyOjikutu (1986) advocates &dquo;The Career Time-Line&dquo; to achieve similar objectives.…”

The Counsellor as Decision-Maken Role, Treatment and Responding Decisions

“…For example, we may explore their decision-making p r e cesses (Krumboltz and Baker, 1973;Tiedeman, 1961) and styles (Arroba, 1977;Gelatt et al, 1972), and the effect of anxiety on their decisions (Goodstein, 1972). Additionally, clients may be taught decision-making skills such as information-seeking behaviour (Krumboltz and Thoresen, 1964) and self-control (Thoresen and Ewart, 1976). Furthermore, implicit if not explicit in all counselling is an attempt to help clients make major and minor life decisions more effectively.…”

Work Samples as Predictors of Vocational Success

“…Kanfer (1975; has written extensively on self regulation from an interactionist perspective, and his work should be carefully reviewed. Thoreson and Ewart (1975) have recently applied these concepts to problems of career counseling. Vocational evaluators should also take careful note of the applications of these new developments to assessment.…”