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IOP2606 MAY/JUNE 2017 (2) EXAM MEMO
SECTION A
QUESTION 1 - (UNIT 7 – NOT INCLUDED IN EXAMS!!)
Individual Difference (Personality) and Occupational/Career Choice
In the organisational context a career or occupation is regarded as a structural
sequence of work experiences which promote employee development and advance
within an organisation. A career is unique to each person and created by particular
choices of the individual. In the 21st century workplace a career includes not only an
occupation, but also pre-vocational and post-vocational concerns together with an
integration of work with a person's other life roles, such as family, community and
leisure time. A career can then be viewed as a property of the person rather than the
organisation.
From an individual perspective a career consists of significant learnings and
experiences through the acquisition of knowledge and skills that reflect a person's
vocational life, direction, competencies and accomplishments throughout their forms of
employment. People therefore match their careers with personal aims, life purpose and
competencies. It is clear that a career is not a biographical succession of work
experiences, but rather the collected learning and skills enrichment from the
accumulated experiences constituting a career.
a. Individual differences (personality) and career development in the
workplace
The rationale for career development is the effective nurturing of talent, specific
company knowledge and the successive deployment of workforce capabilities to
enhance work performance within the organisation.
Career development involves a person's career choices throughout a person's
career lifespan, a lifelong process and evolution of a person's identity with regard
to work, the transition, induction and adjustment to work and the ongoing
adjustments adults make as they incorporate new learning about themselves and
the world of work into their career behaviour.
b. Career choice process
In the 21st century world of work people will often have multiple career paths with
different career stages within their particular career life stages. This process may
not necessarily follow a specific linear path or have any age-specific boundaries.
, Table 8 (p153) provides an overview of the different career stages people find
themselves in.
Career maturity is not related to age, but rather the readiness to make career
decisions and to cope with developmental tasks of a particular life stage. This
refers to a person's decision-making ability, career exploration, career planning
and an understanding of the world of work.
Self-efficacy, which is a job-specific trait, is a person's belief that they can
perform a specific task successfully. Research shows that this belief is a good
predictor of whether we can actually do the specific task. People with high self-
efficacy tend to set higher goals for themselves and are more committed to
achieving these goals, whereas people with low self-efficacy tend to
procrastinate.
Much of what transpires positively or negatively in adult personal and vocational
behaviours may be related to the early formative years in physical, cognitive,
social and emotional behaviours. Learning certain cognitive and career concepts
and attachment behaviours during the critical periods in infancy and in childhood
is important for adult career transitions. How stable a person's vocational
interests are across the lifespan has recently been researched. The research
findings seem to indicate that levels of a given interest at age 12 and age 17 are
relatively stable, becoming even more stable during young adulthood and then
maintained through the ages between 20 and 30.
c. Personality and occupational choice
As far as personality in occupational behaviour is concerned, the concept of the
work personality, which develops because the individual acquires positive work
behaviours and the competency to be productive. The work personality is a semi-
autonomous area of the general personality. In other words, personality as
expressed in the work context may manifest differently in other situations or life
roles because of different requirements. The work or productive personality
consists of a set of interrelated motives and coping styles, defensive
mechanisms and the like, with which an individual confronts the demands of
work. Work dysfunctions or areas of work performance impairment imply some
area of shortcoming or defect in the development of the work personality. Neff
describes various forms of maladjustment responses in the work context, which
in some ways relate to personality disorders. He believes that psychological
disorders or symptoms of them are not in themselves the reason for work
maladjustment. In addition to possible emotional problems, people who are
, unable to work cannot tolerate or accept the demands of work. Some work
dysfunctions take the form of negative work ethics and values, or a dysfunctional
capacity to work, as illustrated in commitment patterns of work behaviour and
even overcommitment.
d. Work motivation and goal orientation
An important aspect of socialisation influences (such as parents, school and
other agents for career performance during a person's lifespan) is the
progressive development of motivation. This is especially important if we
consider that work activity, together with family life and religion, is one of our
most important central life interests. Work gives meaning to life in many respects,
and it is essential that people find meaning in work and are able to provide
economically for themselves and their dependants. The way people learn to set
life goals also influences how they set work goals – as is the case with the
processes of task completion, which ultimately results in certain levels of life and
job satisfaction.
e. Influence on other life roles
If development and changes in the various domains of human growth and
development (which are rather interdependent and holistic) are optimal, career
development may follow suit. Often development or change in one area will
influence change or adjustment in another. It is important to express career
development in work life, because it is arguably a central life interest and
influences not only work life, but many other life roles positively, or causes a lot of
life role conflicts. Examples of the latter are the inability to make good career
decisions, career development problems (such as adapting to a new job), job
mobility (not holding down jobs), work-family conflicts, inflexibility in planning and
scheduling life activities, conflict about work in married life and child-raising
problems.
Personality often serves as an integrative concept (e.g. the self) in explaining
vocational behaviour. However, specific aspects of personality (e.g. cognitive
abilities, personality traits, emotions, values and interests) are used to explain
vocational behaviour, like making choices and decisions, and other aspects of
career development. However, these aspects are included in the theoretical
concepts and assumptions of occupational development. (p150-152)
IOP2606 MAY/JUNE 2017 (2) EXAM MEMO
SECTION A
QUESTION 1 - (UNIT 7 – NOT INCLUDED IN EXAMS!!)
Individual Difference (Personality) and Occupational/Career Choice
In the organisational context a career or occupation is regarded as a structural
sequence of work experiences which promote employee development and advance
within an organisation. A career is unique to each person and created by particular
choices of the individual. In the 21st century workplace a career includes not only an
occupation, but also pre-vocational and post-vocational concerns together with an
integration of work with a person's other life roles, such as family, community and
leisure time. A career can then be viewed as a property of the person rather than the
organisation.
From an individual perspective a career consists of significant learnings and
experiences through the acquisition of knowledge and skills that reflect a person's
vocational life, direction, competencies and accomplishments throughout their forms of
employment. People therefore match their careers with personal aims, life purpose and
competencies. It is clear that a career is not a biographical succession of work
experiences, but rather the collected learning and skills enrichment from the
accumulated experiences constituting a career.
a. Individual differences (personality) and career development in the
workplace
The rationale for career development is the effective nurturing of talent, specific
company knowledge and the successive deployment of workforce capabilities to
enhance work performance within the organisation.
Career development involves a person's career choices throughout a person's
career lifespan, a lifelong process and evolution of a person's identity with regard
to work, the transition, induction and adjustment to work and the ongoing
adjustments adults make as they incorporate new learning about themselves and
the world of work into their career behaviour.
b. Career choice process
In the 21st century world of work people will often have multiple career paths with
different career stages within their particular career life stages. This process may
not necessarily follow a specific linear path or have any age-specific boundaries.
, Table 8 (p153) provides an overview of the different career stages people find
themselves in.
Career maturity is not related to age, but rather the readiness to make career
decisions and to cope with developmental tasks of a particular life stage. This
refers to a person's decision-making ability, career exploration, career planning
and an understanding of the world of work.
Self-efficacy, which is a job-specific trait, is a person's belief that they can
perform a specific task successfully. Research shows that this belief is a good
predictor of whether we can actually do the specific task. People with high self-
efficacy tend to set higher goals for themselves and are more committed to
achieving these goals, whereas people with low self-efficacy tend to
procrastinate.
Much of what transpires positively or negatively in adult personal and vocational
behaviours may be related to the early formative years in physical, cognitive,
social and emotional behaviours. Learning certain cognitive and career concepts
and attachment behaviours during the critical periods in infancy and in childhood
is important for adult career transitions. How stable a person's vocational
interests are across the lifespan has recently been researched. The research
findings seem to indicate that levels of a given interest at age 12 and age 17 are
relatively stable, becoming even more stable during young adulthood and then
maintained through the ages between 20 and 30.
c. Personality and occupational choice
As far as personality in occupational behaviour is concerned, the concept of the
work personality, which develops because the individual acquires positive work
behaviours and the competency to be productive. The work personality is a semi-
autonomous area of the general personality. In other words, personality as
expressed in the work context may manifest differently in other situations or life
roles because of different requirements. The work or productive personality
consists of a set of interrelated motives and coping styles, defensive
mechanisms and the like, with which an individual confronts the demands of
work. Work dysfunctions or areas of work performance impairment imply some
area of shortcoming or defect in the development of the work personality. Neff
describes various forms of maladjustment responses in the work context, which
in some ways relate to personality disorders. He believes that psychological
disorders or symptoms of them are not in themselves the reason for work
maladjustment. In addition to possible emotional problems, people who are
, unable to work cannot tolerate or accept the demands of work. Some work
dysfunctions take the form of negative work ethics and values, or a dysfunctional
capacity to work, as illustrated in commitment patterns of work behaviour and
even overcommitment.
d. Work motivation and goal orientation
An important aspect of socialisation influences (such as parents, school and
other agents for career performance during a person's lifespan) is the
progressive development of motivation. This is especially important if we
consider that work activity, together with family life and religion, is one of our
most important central life interests. Work gives meaning to life in many respects,
and it is essential that people find meaning in work and are able to provide
economically for themselves and their dependants. The way people learn to set
life goals also influences how they set work goals – as is the case with the
processes of task completion, which ultimately results in certain levels of life and
job satisfaction.
e. Influence on other life roles
If development and changes in the various domains of human growth and
development (which are rather interdependent and holistic) are optimal, career
development may follow suit. Often development or change in one area will
influence change or adjustment in another. It is important to express career
development in work life, because it is arguably a central life interest and
influences not only work life, but many other life roles positively, or causes a lot of
life role conflicts. Examples of the latter are the inability to make good career
decisions, career development problems (such as adapting to a new job), job
mobility (not holding down jobs), work-family conflicts, inflexibility in planning and
scheduling life activities, conflict about work in married life and child-raising
problems.
Personality often serves as an integrative concept (e.g. the self) in explaining
vocational behaviour. However, specific aspects of personality (e.g. cognitive
abilities, personality traits, emotions, values and interests) are used to explain
vocational behaviour, like making choices and decisions, and other aspects of
career development. However, these aspects are included in the theoretical
concepts and assumptions of occupational development. (p150-152)
