Career Adaptability: An Integrative Construct for Life‐Span, Life‐Space Theory

Abstract

The four segments in the life‐span, life‐space approach to comprehending and intervening in careers (individual differences, development, self, and context), constitute four perspectives on adaptation to life roles. Adaptation serves as a bridging construct to integrate the complexity engendered by viewing vocational behavior from four distinct vantage points. To correspond to adaptation as the core construct, career adaptability should replace career maturity as the critical construct in the developmental perspective on adaptation. Moreover, adaptability could be conceptualized using developmental dimensions similar to those used to describe career maturity, namely planning, exploring, and deciding.

New job market entrants' future work self, career adaptability and job search outcomes: Examining mediating and moderating models

“…Based on career construction theory (Savickas, 1997(Savickas, , 2005, the current research examined the role of career adaptability in Chinese university graduates' job search success.…”

Career adaptability, calling and the professional competence of social work students in China: A career construction perspective

“…This means that individuals' self-regulatory resources play important roles in sustaining their long-term career development (Savickas, 1997(Savickas, , 2005(Savickas, , 2013Savickas, Nota, Rossier, Dauwalder, Duarte, Guichard et al, 2009). According to the career construction theory, there exist four types of psychological resources that help individuals to cope with the challenges of career development (Savickas, & Porfeli, 2012), namely career concern (the ability of seriously considering future career possibilities and preparing for these possibilities), career control (the strength of making deliberate decisions and taking conscientious action), career curiosity (the ability in exploring various situations and potential roles) and career confidence (the positive perceptions of one's problemsolving skills).…”

“…In current research we employed the concept of career-orientated learning environment to represent the extent to which a learning environment facilitates the construction of career competence through practicebased learning experiences and dialogues about these experiences (Bailey, Hughes & Moore, 2004;Blume, Ford, Baldwin, & Huang, 2010;Kuijpers et al, 2011;Savickas, 1997, Career Adaptability and Calling 8 2013. Kuijpers et al (2011) stated that compared with the traditional learning environment, a career-oriented learning environment is characterized by the focus on obtaining actual work experiences rather than information transfer, the consideration of both students' emotion and cognition, the creation of self-directed choices rather than a standard-learning route, the emphasis of mutual participation between teachers and students rather than a monologue from teacher to student, as well as the provision of continued guidance rather than interventions at certain institutionally determined decision-making moments.…”

A Semantic and Pragmatic Analysis of Career Adaptability in Career Construction Theory

“…Indeed, the theory's conceptual roots are in Super's life-space, life-span theory (Savickas, 2002). This connection saw Savickas's (1997) appropriation and extension of the notions of adjustment and maturity as key constructs that were ultimately subsumed by his career construction theory. However, Savickas (1997Savickas ( , 2005 carefully differentiates career adaptability from these progenitor constructs in terms of their being formulated for use in a world-of-work that by-and-large no longer exists.…”

“…This connection saw Savickas's (1997) appropriation and extension of the notions of adjustment and maturity as key constructs that were ultimately subsumed by his career construction theory. However, Savickas (1997Savickas ( , 2005 carefully differentiates career adaptability from these progenitor constructs in terms of their being formulated for use in a world-of-work that by-and-large no longer exists. Instead, career adaptability is proffered as a new construct for the Becoming concerned about their future as a worker; increasing personal control over their vocational future; displaying curiosity by exploring possible selves and future scenarios; and, strengthening the confidence to pursue their aspirations (p. 52).…”