Chapter 7: Career Development in Children

Question 1

Who developed the Model of Career Development in Children?

Answer 1

Donald E. Super

Question 2

What is the most basic need of children?

Answer 2

• Curiosity: Desire for knowledge, for something new. Curiosity is prompted when there is a change in physical or social needs or when there is a desire for excitement. Curiosity and fantasy, should be encouraged

Question 3

How do children meet their curiosity need?

Answer 3

Through exploration: the act of searching or examining through play. Exploratory behavior builds on itself - best to encourage natural exploration.

Question 4

What are the significance of key figures?

Answer 4

• Adults are important role models - parents, teachers, public figures, etc.
• Children are more like to aspire to be in their parent’s role if parents are happy in role.
• Children are influenced by occupations they are exposed to as children. Helps to form their self-concept.

Question 5

What is the significance of internal vs. external control?

Answer 5

Gradually begin to feel greater sense of control over surroundings. Work to achieve balance between self-control and controlled by external factors (teachers, parents, etc.).

Question 6

How are interests developed (Super)?

Answer 6

• Fantasies and information combine to form interests. -
• Young children often do not see any barriers for what they want to do in the future.
• Dev of self-competence and interests encourage more development - interchangeable effect. Interests change overtime. Helps children’s sense of self.

Question 7

What is time perspective?

Answer 7

Ability to have a sense of the future.
- Children younger than 9, hard to have a firm grasp of the concept of future - no difference between 6 months and 6 years. Unrealistic to expect children younger than 4th grade to think about planning future vocation. Before that, just encourage curiosity and exploration.

Question 8

What is self-concept and planfulness (Super)?

Answer 8

Vocational dev is the process of developing and implementing a self-concept.

• Kids whose curiosity and exploration are encouraged will have stronger self-concept.
• Self-concept is a combination of biological characteristics, social roles we play, and reactions of others.
• Self-concept is subjective. Clear self-concept begins to emerge by late childhood, early adolescence. Begin to understand what separates themselves from others. More interested in accomplishment of goals. Now able to make plans.

Question 9

What are image norms (Super)?

Answer 9

Developed from comments of key figures and observations.

• Perception of occupational stereotypes - belief you must have certain image to enter into a certain occupation.
• Perceptions of own physical image - view of own physical appearance, age, gender, race, desirability, etc.
• Organizational images - images about particular company or work.

Question 10

What is the basic premise of Super’s theory of Career Development in Children?

Answer 10

There are stages children move through and have tasks at each stage.

• Concepts of curiosity, exploration, key figure, time perspective, and self concept
• Career choice is a process, view of self is important, career choice starts in childhood.

Question 11

What are Super’s 5 main stages (maxicycles)?

Answer 11

• Growth (4-13)
• Exploration (14-24)
• Establishment (25-44)
• Maintenance (45-65)
• Disengagement (65+)

Question 12

What are the tasks that are to be met in Super’s Growth stage?

Answer 12

• Curiosity - natural for kids, should be encouraged
• Exploration - intentional or accidental, encouraged or thwarted
• Information - concrete info is best
• Fantasy becomes interests - interests can help with career maturity and self-concept.

Question 13

What is magical thinking (Howard and Walsh)?

Answer 13

Age 5 to 6 - simplistic understanding of career decision. Basic understanding of what a person in a career does. Doesn’t understand how to get there. Choice of job usually based on fantasies.

Question 14

What are the main takeaways from the childhood theories of career development?

Answer 14

• Kids are curious and their initial career interests may come from whom and to what they have been exposed, leads to interests
• Interests will eventually lead to capacity/ability - at age 11 or 12
• Counselors need to listen, validate, and encourage curiosity and exploration with kids - will help with development of self-concept.

Question 15

What is the basic concept of Gottfredson’s theory?

Answer 15

• Explains how people see themselves in terms of society and their individuality (values, feelings, interests).
• Individuals create themselves as they interact with environmental factors, including gender and prestige
• Cognitive map is integrated into self-concept, which occupations are compatible with how they see themselves.
• Must make decisions about occupations and deal with influence of outside world.
• Genetics and environment impact cognitive development which then impacts personality and interests.

Question 16

How do individual’s choose a career? (Gottfredson)

Answer 16

• development of a cognitive map of occupations that is integrated into one’s self-concept. Determine which occupations are most compatible with how they see themselves.

Question 17

What must children do before they can choose a career? (Gottfredson)

Answer 17

• They must develop a cognitive map of occupations and develop a self-concept.
• But in order to do this, they must first:
• (Cognitive Growth) - be able to remember, understand, evaluate, etc.
• Move from concrete to abstract

Question 18

Describe the significance of self-creation (Gottfredson)

Answer 18

Genetics, environment, and personal choices interact to lead to creation of self-concept.

• Genes - temperament and intellect
• Environment - interests, attitudes, skills
• Non-shared events - important
• May have genes for it but environment will impact if it is expressed.

Question 19

What is the genes-drives-experience theory?

Answer 19

Children choose their environment as they get older.
- Make choices based on the internal genetic compass
A guide to what they are likely to prefer. But what exactly they like is depending on environment.
- Seek niche - interaction between self-concept and environment.

Question 20

What is circumscription?

Answer 20

Process through which children narrow down their choices to “zone of acceptable alternatives” based on gender and prestige.

• Gender impacts career choice from age 6, prestige from age 9
• Elimination is irreversible.

Question 21

What are the four stages of circumscription?

Answer 21

• Stage 1 - Orientation to Size and Power (3-5)
• Stage 2 - Orientation to Sex Roles (6-8)
• Stage 3 - Orientation to Social Valuation (9-13)
• Stage 4 - Orientation to the Internal Unique Self (14+) -

Question 22

What occurs in Stage 1: Orientation to Size and Power?

Answer 22

• Stage 1 - Orientation to Size and Power (3-5) - Concrete and simplistic understanding of world. Impressed by jobs those bigger than them can do.

Question 23

What occurs in Stage 2: Orientation to Sex Roles?

Answer 23

Stage 2 - Orientation to Sex Roles (6-8) - Become aware of gender roles and make “decisions” about appropriateness of roles for their gender role.
□ Tolerable-sex type boundary - believe jobs are only appropriate to girls/boys.

Question 24

What occurs in Stage 3: Orientation to Social Valuation?

Answer 24

- Stage 3 - Orientation to Social Valuation (9-13) - More conscious of social class and peer pressure. Prestige
□ Tolerable level boundary: Understand which types of careers family would reject. Some have more options than others.

Question 25

What occurs in Stage 4: Orientation to Internal Unique Self?

Answer 25

• Stage 4 - Orientation to the Internal Unique Self (14+) - have an idea of which occupations are acceptable to them. Aware of attractiveness and what others think of them. Consider abilities, values, prestige, needs of family, etc.

Question 26

Define compromise

Answer 26

Idealism to realism
Tendency to let go of highly preferred alternatives due to reality of limiting factors: competitive job market, required education, etc. Limited based on sex type, prestige, and field of interest.

Question 27

What are challenges some children face when reaching the compromise phase?

Answer 27

• Not knowing enough about job or how to enter
• Not understanding how their behavior impacts their access to education and work
• Often settle for good enough job.