John Hollands Theory of Vocational Personalities a Essay Example For Students

John Hollands Theory of Vocational Personalities a Essay nd Work EnivironmentsJohn Hollands Theory of Vocational PersonalitiesHollands theory of vocational personalities and work environments is the premier structural theory behind modern counseling. His theory structural theory is centered around the basic belief that people will seek out careers that offer environments that are compatible with their interest, likes and dislikes. This basic premise is the foundation for Hollands globally accepted vocational personality and work environment theory. This structural theory can be explained by four general statements. First, in todays society, generally most people will fall into one of Hollands six category types. These types are defined as Realistic, Intellectual, Social, Conventional, Enterprising and Artistic. Secondly, there are six kinds of environments that exists in modern society (Holland, 1966). These environments are also defined as Realistic, Intellectual, Social, Conventional, Enterprising and Artistic. Next people will search fo r the environment and vocation that allows them to best use there skills and talents, to express their attitudes and values, to take on problems and roles they like and avoid the ones that they dislike (Gottfredson, 1981). Finally a persons behavior is determined by the interaction of his personality pattern and his environment. Hollands theory allows counseling to define, explain and predict personality types and their compatibility with the work environment. Hollands theory on the surface may seem simple, but the interest in his theory are useful and can indicate much more than just the types of work a person will enjoy. The many components of abilities and personalities are contained within a persons interest profile.John Hollands Theory of Vocational Personalities Hollands theory states that there are six different occupational personality types. These types are Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. Each type can be defined as a combination of behaviors, needs, self concepts, goals, preferred roles, aptitudes and intelligence. Holland states that a persons personality pattern has a resemblance to each of the six category types. Their personality type is the category they most resemble. It is understood that no one person will fall completely into one category. Many people have overlapping personalities and fall into more than one, but it is also understood that there is one dominate category in each person (Holland, 1997). The dominate category is the one that will best define the person. The first personality type that will be discussed is the Realistic type. This person can be described as being very masculine and stable. People that fall into this interest category would tend to like being outdoors and receive pleasure from working with their hands doing manual work. These people tend to enjoy working alone or with people of similar interest (Holland, 1997). Realistic type people have difficulty with environments that require great amounts of interpersonal activity. The jobs that Realistic people would tend to seek are blue collar jobs such as a plumber, photographer, and a heavy earth moving machinery operator. These are all heavily manual jobs and can be done with very little interpersonal activity. Other jobs that are more technical will also attract the Realistic person such as an engineer or airplane pilot. The education level of the Realistic personality was found to be 4.03 on a 6 point scale (Holland, 1989). This was the lowest of the six categories. The me anings of the different education levels are discussed in Hollands Occupational Finder. The next category in Hollands theory is the investigative type. This type of person interacts with their surroundings by using their intellect, problem solving skills and the ability to use persuasive speech. Investigative types focus on ideas instead of focusing on people. These people have a high level of intellect and can think abstractly. They also tend to avoid stressful and emotional environments and are unconcerned about social relationships (Holland, 1997). The Investigative type has the highest education level of the six category types. Hollands scale shows that a score of 5.48 is needed to be successful in these type of jobs (Holland, 1989). These people tend to work in fields that require a great amount of educational knowledge. One such field that is dominated by Investigative types is the medical field. Doctors, scientist, and skilled technicians tend to hold these types of jobs. They are skilled in their particular field but tend to be distant when it comes to relating to the people they serve on a person level. It is also noted that out of the six categories the Investigative types have the highest need for prestige. Mechanical Engineering Career Choice EssayHollands theory of vocational personalities and work environments is the dominate modern measurement of vocational interest. His theory has been widely accepted by the clinical community (Trusty, Robinson Plata, 2000). It is also noted that Hollands theory is said to be complex in practical vocational use, but is easy to understand theoretically. His theory states that each category has its own definite characteristics, but each type is related to the other. Hollands theory has been researched many times sense it was introduced and even though there has been great debate over the number of personality types, there has been consistency with its outcomes (De Fruyt Mervielde, 1999). This simply means that when a person is tested on a interest inventory instrument such as the Self Directed Search (SDS) or the Vocational Preference Inventory ( VPI) the results hold true to the theory. People tend to seek out and succeed in careers that fit the ir own individual personality requirements. Chacko, H. E. (1991). Can you pick the accountant? Students interest and career choices. Journal of Education for Business, 3, 151. De Fruyt, F.; Mervielde, I. (1999). RIASEC types and Big Five Traits as Predictors of Employment Status. Personal Psychology, 52, 701. Farmer, H. S. (1985). Model of Career Achievement Motivation for Women and Men. Journal of Counseling Psychology,32, 363-390. Gottfredson, L. S. (1981). Circumscription and Compromise: A Developmental Theory of Occupational Aspirations. Journal of Counseling Psychology,28, 545-579. Holland, John L. (1966). A psychological classification scheme for vocations and major fields. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 13, 278-288. Holland, J. L., Fritzsche, B. A., Powell, A. B. (1997). Self-Directed Search Technical Manual. Odessa, Florida: Psychological Assessment Resources. Holland, John L. (1989). Dictionary of Holland Occupational Codes (2nd ed.). Odessa, Florida: Psychological Assessment Resources. Holland, John L. (1997). Making Vocational Choices (3rd. Ed.). Odessa, Florida: Psychological Assessment Resources. Kline, Paul (1966). Psychology off Vocational Guidance. New York: John Wiley Sons. Krumboltz, J. D. (1996). A Learning Theory of Career Counseling. California: Davies-Black. Lowman, Rodney L. (1991). The Clinical Practice of Career Assessment: Interest, Abilities, and Personalities (1st ed.). Washington: American Psychological Association. Trusty, J.; Robinson, C.; Plata, M. (2000). Effects of Gender, Socioeconomic Status, and Early Academic Performance on Postsecondary Educational Choice. Journal of Counseling Development, 78, 463. Bibliography: