Brown+Chapter+6

=**__Theories and Application of Contextualism and Chaos Theory to Careers__**=

**Things to remember:**

 * =====The importance of context in the development of self=====
 * =====Differences between modern and postmodern theories=====
 * =====The language of contextualist and chaos theory theories=====
 * =====The process of postmodern career counseling, particularly assessment tools=====

**10 Assumptions Regarding Postmodern, or Constructivist Theories:**

 * 1) =====Human behavior is nonlinear and this cannot be studied objectively.=====
 * 2) =====Cause-and-effect relationships cannot be determined.=====
 * 3) =====Individuals cannot be studied outside of the context in which they function.=====
 * 4) =====Research data cannot be gereralized to other people or groups.=====
 * 5) =====Research is not a value-free process. The researcher's values should in fact guide the research process.=====
 * 6) =====The stories (narratives) that students tell are legitimate sources of data.=====
 * 7) =====Research is goal free: It is a search for actual effects based on demonstrated needs. Random samples are replaced with purposeful sampling-that is, studying individuals who can respond to the research in a meaningful manner.=====
 * 8) =====Career counselors focus on the stories (narratives) of their clients, use qualitative assessment procedures, and help clients construct career goals based on their perceptions of the context in which they function.=====
 * 9) =====The self develops in continuous interaction between the individual and her or his contexts.=====
 * 10) =====Some postmodern theorists accept the idea of an objective self, that is, one that can be observed, measured, and compared to others. Others reject this idea.=====

=
The actions of individuals are not caused by past or present events; causality is eschewed. Career-related behaviors are goal-directed results of the individual's construction of the context in which she or he functions. To understand an event, one must start with the event, determine the individual's view of it, and proceed from that point.=====

Three Parts of Goal-Oriented Behaviors:

 * 1) =====Observable behavior=====
 * 2) =====The internal processes that cannot be observed=====
 * 3) =====The meaning or results as interpreted by the individuals and others who observe the action=====

=

 * Example:** A person may go to work and experience the job as boring and unworthy of her labor. The pay that she receives each week may be viewed by the individual as sufficient rationale for keeping the job. Her children and out-of-work spouse may judge her work as heroic activity.=====

Actions and Interpretations:
Action: takes place in a series of sequential steps that occur in a social context from which the actor cannot be separated. Interpretation: in terms of its immediate context (client, friends, and parents), and the long- or short-terms goals.

Interpretation process:

 * Purposes:**
 * 1) to become aware of the clients' worldviews
 * 2) to help clients become aware of their conceptualizations and how these are workable within the life space
 * 3) to support clients' applications of their constructs
 * 4) to help maintain clients' constructions of self and not abandon them in favor of more scientific ideas, such as traits and personality types

Enables clients to identify constructs that are related to his or her career choices. As clients tell their life stories, the counselor spontaneously interprets the story in meaning-making effort. Clients will also interpret their own stories- influenced by the gender and culture of the actor


 * Occurs at two levels:**
 * 1) in the present context, which is built on a stream of actions
 * 2) in the anticipated context of the future

Goals of Career Counselors:

 * helps the client develop an understanding of self in context through recursive questioning and interpretation of his or her narratives
 * assist clients to project their narratives, or life stories, into future contexts
 * making sense of the client's experiences via interpretation

=Savickas' Career Construction Theory=

Incorporates modern theories such as the work of Holland and Super.
 * Holland-** Exposing clients to the six personality types and work environments may promote reflection about the client's self.
 * Super-** Taking such elements from Super's theory such as developmental tasks, self-concept and planfulness.

Savickas theory is a little harder than most to understand. It is helpful to read over it a couple times and the case study provided in the book really helps. Savickas believes the construction of our self comes from the reflective process. Experience is one of the main elements to our self-constructive process because much of our reflection is based upon these contextual experiences. By the use of language, individual's self-talk themselves into existence. He believes in three conceptualizations of self that may help career construction:
 * 1) **Self as object-** The observable self, which can be measured.
 * 2) **Self as subject-** Acts on his/her own to set goals, develops data about self, and makes decisions.
 * 3) **Self as project-** Career development will be a work in progress containing starts and stops, retraining and retooling, and a sense of instability due to today's unstable workplace and the digital revolution.

Savickas has a five-step approach to career counseling:
 * 1) **Construction-** Counselor is looking for themese that the client is talking about and listening for emotions
 * 2) **Deconstruction-** Listen for emotions and then eliciting them directly via questions
 * 3) **Reconstruction-** Looks at things to do to plan for the goal
 * 4) **Cocunstruction-** Involves constructing and affirming the worldview of the client in his or her lifespace
 * 5) **Action-** Goal setting and action taking

=Chaos Theory=

Five assumptions of the Chaos Theory:
 * 1) Small effects can cause large reactions (the butterfly effect).
 * 2) Complex open systems (family, weather, etc.) are unpredictable due to the fact that we can never know the initial conditions that these systems have evolved from.
 * 3) Open systems are characterized by their turbulence, which adds to their unpredictability.
 * 4) Feedback about the open systems makes it more unpredictable.
 * 5) Fractals are complex patterns that repeat themselves (new patterns grow out of the old).

Bloch and Richmond (2007) stressed 7 themes that may occur during the career counseling process. These themes may or may not be expressed by the client, and there is no particular order that these themes occur in.
 * 1) Change- likely to occur several times. Being open and prepared for change is an important part of one's "lifecareer". Maybe be caused by an external force (fired) or an internal force (dissatisfaction).
 * 2) Balance- is an important and natural inclination in one's life. A client may achieve balance through prioritizing and budgeting their time.
 * 3) Energy- the force that moves the client toward a goal.
 * 4) Community- communities of companionship, communities of culture, and cosmic communities are the three types of community influences that are expressed by Block and Richmond (2007).
 * 5) Calling- many individuals feel a "call" toward a certain career.
 * 6) Harmony- can be achieved by finding a career that matches one's values, interests, and abilities.
 * 7) Unity- trusting the universe and expecting to handle whatever comes your way.

Pryor and Bright (2005) had their own chaos theory-based approach to career counseling. They stated 5 recommendations for career counseling.
 * 1) Career development is an ongoing process that is influenced by many factors that are constantly changing.
 * 2) Many forces that influence career development are random and can't be predicted.
 * 3) When patterns are identified, clients must be prepared to link these to past evens.
 * 4) When clients consider past decisions, they must look at the context in which this decision was made.
 * 5) Clients should be encouraged to identify the limitations in their systems.

Brown, D. (2016). //Career information, career counseling, and career development.// Boston, MA: Person Education, Inc.