Criminal Justice

You have examined the main theories of career development (see Career Theories readings in Week 2). Your task in Paper 2 is to select two theories and discuss which aspects of these theories apply to your career development and the career development of your family members. Also, you will discuss how you might go about constructing your own career theory.

Download the attached document to access the guidelines and rubric for this assignment. APA format is required for all papers in this course. Use the Sample APA Paper document attached below to help with formatting and/or consult with your instructor for questions about formatting.

Please note that your paper will be uploaded into Turnitin, an anti-plagiarism software, upon submission. If I have any concerns regarding your submission, I will contact you directly to discuss.

ANSWER

Career Development Theories: Paper 2

Apply Theories to My Career Development

My two of the best selected theories of career development constitute of Roe’s theory of occupational choice and Ginsberg and Super theory of career development. Staring with Anne Roe’s theory, it concurs and aligns with the profound aspects critical to career development. Anne Roe’s theory is founded on the father of psychoanalytic psychology Sigmud Freud views that the first years of childhood mold the personality of an individual for the rest of their life (Brown, 2004). Further, Anne Roe borrows from Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs to outline the career developmental stages. This starts with the need for basic stuff in life such as food and shelter. The realization of the basic needs progresses to the need for security and safety (Osipow, 1968). On the realization of such needs, an individual’s needs advance to the desires of friendship and love, esteem, and achievement. This prompts the need for self-actualization which forms the final aspect leading to one realizing their full potential. The needs act motivators on an individual in the selection of the career or occupational choices (Brown, Lum & Voyle, 1997). This has been an integral theory which impacts on my need to flourish and become a successful person in the society. The final need of self-actualization motivates me to focus on achieving the best in my career choice through hard work, dedication, and resilience. Therefore, the overall goal in occupational choice and career development resonates with this theory as its guide to the realization of full potential.

The utilization of Eli Ginzberg (1951) and Donald Super (1957) career development theory stipulates that this entails a process of developmental stages in which everyone progresses (Howell, Frese & Sollie, 1977). The developmental stages constitute of a series of life transformations that allow an individual to grow in all aspects. Most particularly, in career development, Ginzberg and Super theory denotes that there are three key long-term processes that an individual is bound to go through in their life (Salomone, 1996). These comprise of fantasy, tentative, and realistic stages. For one to join a particular occupation, one has to possess the ideal preference in which they desire to actualize. The fantasy, tentative, and realistic stages allows one to visualize, desire, own, and transform the ideal preferences into a career choice. Ginzberg and Super theory posits that one has an opportunity to advance through life processes to become the best they can be in their career. The theory emphasizes on the need for ideal preference of the career and the need to transform interest, capacity, value, and ability into high performing contexts (Ireh, 1999). The theory is a critical feature for my career choice and development as it presents the significance of loving what I do and being passionate about my career. This is fundamental to ensure my choice is self-selected, desired, preferred, and actualized (Super, 1969). Therefore, it plays a critical role in being the best I can be in my career.

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Theories

Roe’s theory is based on the primary concept of human nature where the actualization of one needs transforms into the need of another thing. This prompts that, an individual is expected to continue the needs progression leading higher achievements and realization of an individual’s potential. This presents the strongest motivation to an individual’s career in the aspect that the theory is self-driven. That is, the theory promotes individual’s desires and needs towards the realization of career objectives and goals among other purposes in life. The theory’s shortcoming is based on the context that it assumes that an individual’s desires and needs lead to higher purposes in life. This may or may not always be the case as higher desires in life are generated by other factors such as economic potential, education level, social status, exposure, among others. Therefore, not all individuals have higher needs leading self-actualization in the maximum capacity.

Ginzberg and Super’s theory provides the basis in which one can develop and grow through career developmental stages. That is, should one join a particular career path and realize that they do not have the passion and desire to remain in the same career path they can opt for other preferences. The shortfall of the theory is based on the fact that, a failure in one progressive step in life can erode future prospects. Thus, this posits an introduction of adverse effects in life where an individual can fail to achieve any career goals.

Applying Theories to Others’ Career Development

The application of the two theories among my family members proves to be a clear approach that has benefited different individuals. As for mum, Roe’s theory best applies to her case. A strong pursuant of feminine views in having her own career and realizing her full-potential in life — my mum has been a role model to us as a family. She has installed values on the need to pursue one need after another in the process of being the best we can in our lives. This is based on Anne Roe’s theory informed by Abraham Maslow’s theory of needs. My father, former military personnel now an attorney best aligns with Ginzberg and Super theory on career development as progressive process in life. A career change based on desire, fantasy, and actualization is critical in career shift from one profession to another. This is critical to allow become the best they can be in a particular career and grow according. My father’s career and being committed to each one of them presents the aspect in which one can be the best n more than one field.

My Theories

My career theory development can be based on the need to attain the optimal self – one can be in life. This is based on the career choice of Anne Roe where the needs’ theory act as the motivation to self-actualization. The desire to become the best is fundamental to the career theory development. Therefore, the theory is embedded on aspects such as desire, motivating factors, and optimization of the individual.

References

Brown, M. T. (2004). The career development influence of family of origin: Considerations of race/ethnic group membership and class. The Counseling Psychologist, 32(4), 587-595.

Brown, M. T., Lum, J. L., & Voyle, K. (1997). Roe revisited: A call for the reappraisal of the theory of personality development and career choice. Journal of vocational behavior, 51(2), 283-294.

Howell, F. M., Frese, W., & Sollie, C. R. (1977). Ginzberg’s theory of occupational choice: A reanalysis of increasing realism. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 11(3), 332-346.

Ireh, M. (1999). Career development theories and their implications for high school career guidance and counseling. The High School Journal, 83(2), 28-40.

Osipow, S. H. (1968). Theories of Career Development. A Comparison of the Theories.

Salomone, P. R. (1996). Tracing Super’s theory of vocational development: A 40-year retrospective. Journal of career development, 22(3), 167-184.

Super, D. E. (1969). Vocational development theory: Persons, positions, and processes. The counseling psychologist, 1(1), 2-9. Osipow, S. H. (1968). Theories of Career Development. A Comparison of the Theories.