Essay Sample on Working and Career Theories

Introduction

Transitioning from one setting such as academic to another setting, such as a more practical turbulent labor market requires more personal means than ever. It is important that advisors and career counselors focus more on maximizing chance encounters that are available in life. The theory of planned happenstance thus is to correct the traditional norm of career advice that assumed the existence of chance in the career world. Krumboltz theory of planned happenstance suggests that it may be okay not to make plans about a career because the occurrence of unplanned events results in securing good jobs.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Planned happenstance theory disposes of that rational planning is an integral part of career preparation, but the problem arises in the unpredictable and rapidly changing world. Causes such as rapid advances in technology have led to many changes in job requirements. For this case, people have to be well equipped with planned happenstance skills such as curiosity, persistence, flexibility, optimism, and risk-taking to help recognize and apply chance events as career opportunities.

Lee and Kim (2016) criticizes that lack of planning is a way of indecision that is as a bad thing that stops many from moving forward fast. The future may be seen as predictable with a proper plan. However, Mitchell, Al Levin, and Krumboltz (1999) denote that indecision is an excellent response to the complex work environment.

In conclusion, in the contemporary world, people are faced with both predicted and unpredicted events. What planned happenstance suggests that career counseling does not play a significant role in the occupation, and therefore, individuals should embrace that it is normal for the occurrence of unplanned events. People should thus be taught skills to help take advantage of unplanned events.

The Self ss An Agent In Social Cognitive Career Theory

Lent, Brown, and Hacket (1996) developed the social cognitive career theory that proposes that self-efficacy believes are linked with career interest goals and choices. This theory denotes that an individual's self-efficacy beliefs and expectations in regards to future careers would predict their intention of becoming self-employed. A person is fully responsible for their vocational behavior; thus, the theory of SCCT implies that 'self' occupies an important place in vocational psychology and that Concepts such as self-esteem self-concept and self-efficacy all play a major role as theories in Career Development.

Social cognitive theory may, at some point, be opposed to the idea of self as a causal agent. This is because the social cognitive theory is often specific to the nature of the processes and the variables that push them. However, for a person to operate as 'self' in career endeavors, self-efficacy plays an important role. Self-Efficacy involves someone believing in their capabilities to achieve an action; by this, one look at how confident they are to make in their career rather than how much do they approve of themselves in the career world (Lent & Fouad, 2011). The practical application of self-efficacy as a component of social cognitive career theory focuses on motivation in a way that it is the determinant of how much effort one is willing to exert in a process and how long they can persevere obstacles.

In sum, SCCT is an essential model that helps people arrive at their goals that are consistent with realistic beliefs of self-efficacy. Through the use of self as an agent of career development, one has the capability to dive into a career with a clear and workable plan and an emergency for mishaps of the process.

The Psychology of Working Theory: A Transformative Perspective For A Challenging Era

Since the inception of counseling psychology, understanding the role played by work in people's lives has been the primary focus of this field. The Psychology of Working Framework and the Psychology of Working Theory signifies transformative viewpoint for career development theory (Blustein et al., 2018). PWT is postulated as a viewpoint with primary essence to both the lower and higher working-class people who work or may want to work in the increasingly unpredictable career world.

Psychology of working Theory has the potential to shape Career Development that is specific to the rapidly shifting dimensions of the career world. PWT place a Focus on internal individual motivation factors such as self-efficacy beliefs and interest. PWT bases these factors in a structural, contextual background of factors such as gender discrimination and economic constraints.

Lent and Fouad (2011) help in the development of PWT through the establishment of factors of efficacy and personal interests in social cognitive career theory. Psychology of working theory is thus used to catch both the critique of the surviving foci and attentions in the work-based psychological fields as well as the developing viewpoint that looks to incorporate the full scope of working encounters for different types of people who work and those who need to work.

References

Lee, B. K., & Kim, S. E. (2016). A Study on the Effect of Happenstance Factors on the Perception of Means-Goal Relationship. Korean Journal of the Science of Emotion and Sensibility, 19(1), 11-20.

Mitchell, K. E., Al Levin, S., & Krumboltz, J. D. (1999). Planned happenstance: Constructing unexpected career opportunities. Journal of Counseling & Development, 77(2), 115-124.

Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., & Hackett, G. (1996). Career development from a social cognitive perspective. Career choice and development, 3, 373-421.

Lent, R. W., & Fouad, N. A. (2011). The self as agent in social cognitive career theory.

Blustein, D. L., Duffy, R. D., Kenny, M. E., Gutowski, E., & Diamonti, A. J. (2018). The psychology of working theory: A transformative perspective for a challenging era. In Contemporary Theories of Career Development (pp. 153-165). Routledge.