Constructive Development and Career Transition: Implications for Counseling

Abstract

The ability to effectively manage career transition may be related to an individual's meaning‐making framework, or constructive development. The implications of constructive developmental theory for career choice and implementation are explored. The interplay between career transition and developmental transformation is examined, and counseling strategies for assisting such transformation are proposed. Case illustrations are offered.

Toward a Constructivist and Developmental Identity for the Counseling Profession: The Context‐Phase‐Stage‐Style Model

“…The client discovered his own interests and preferences and began to move to a more self-authored way of knowing. Other stagechallenging counseling strategies are described by Ivey (1991), Kegan (1982), Knefelkamp and Slepitza (1976), McAuliffe (1993), and McAuliffe and Strand (1994.…”

Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Role Transition

“…Meleis' work, resulting in a midrange theory of transitions, provides a framework from which to examine the transition process. 12 The challenges of the initial year of APN practice were the focus of a qualitative grounded theory study describing the experiences of 35 new nurse practitioner graduates. 9(p108) According to Meleis, transition requires "the person to incorporate new knowledge, to alter behavior, and therefore to change the definition of self in social context."…”

Applying a Constructive‐Developmental Approach to Issues of Sexual Orientation and Religion in Career Counseling

“…Kegan (1982Kegan ( , 1994 has conceptualized development as a series of emergences from embeddedness in one particular way of knowing and understanding self, others, and the world, to more complex and adaptive ways of making meaning. McAuliffe (1993) previously integrated Kegan's theory with career practice by asserting that the way an individual constructs meaning informs his or her ability to adaptively face career challenges. My intent is to provide a full-length case example that more clearly elucidates how the constructive-developmental approach may be applied to a specific career counseling case.…”

“…Therefore, for the purposes of this article, I briefly describe these two primary adult stages of development. Readers who are interested in more detailed descriptions of these or the other stages are referred to Kegan's work (1982Kegan's work ( , 1994 or to articles by Hooper (2006) and McAuliffe (1993).…”

“…This stage is seen as primary for many adults. With meaning making at the Institutional Balance stage, individuals can begin to articulate needs, values, and interests that are not necessarily related to the norms of the reference group (McAuliffe, 1993). Because he or she is now self-authoring, the person is able to mediate opposing points of view and endure the disagreement of others that is related to personal choices.…”