Career Development Models: A Brief Overview of Relevant Theory
Abstract
This literature review surveys those theories that currently influence the thinking of career development workers. Additionally, this review discusses new approaches that may not yet have empirical support but which exhibit promise or potential for guiding research. Although the processes of career decision making, career entry, and career adjustment have received considerable study, much less research has been devoted to the longitudinal effects of selecting a vocation and commencing work. Thus, a constellation of theories has arisen to help explain the career initiation phenomena whereas little theoretical effort has attempted to explain or predict the life events that follow. The present literature review surveys those theories that currently influence the thinking of career development workers. Additionally, this review discusses new approaches that may not yet have empirical support but exhibit promise or potential for guiding research. Career development has generally been constructed to include both the career decision and entry phase and the career adjustment phase of work life. It has sometimes also been thought to include the process by which employee career progress is enhanced both by the employee and the employer. However, most of the theoretical work dealing with career development has been concerned with the decision making, entry, and adjustment aspects and less with career progress. Keywords: Career development, Literature review, Career decision making, Vocational guidance.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA204663
Entities
People
- Samuel H. Osipow