A Living Systems Theory of Vocational Behavior and Development

The Living Systems Theory of Vocational Behavior and Development (LSVD) explains and illustrates the processes by which individuals construct their work experiences, vocational pathways and career patterns through episodes of interaction with affordances they recognize within their contexts, and how counseling can facilitate those processes. The LSVD was created by combining the scientifically based systems theory that explicates the dynamics of all aspects of human functioning and development, called Humans as Self-Constructing Living Systems, with important ideas about vocational behavior and development. The resulting integrative theory represents the individual person as a dynamic, self-directing and self-constructing entity, i.e., a living system. Behavior Episodes (BEs) are the fundamental, person-in-context, dynamic units of analysis that serve as the "e;building blocks"e; by which individuals construct and retain their experiences in patterns that can be reactivated to facilitate future BEs. The book describes how individuals' history of satisfying BEs and their current activities provide the means by which vocational and career counselors can assist them to create satisfying vocational pathways. It also describes for researchers how new, non-linear, person-centered, quantitative and qualitative research methods can be used to analyze BE patterns to advance understanding of person-level processes that play key roles in individuals' vocational behavior and development. The LSVD was designed to be not just an integrative framework for the field of career development, but also to reconnect the field to related areas such as human resources and industrial-organizational psychology and to the range of human sciences that have already embraced a living systems theoretical model.

The Living Systems Theory of Vocational Behavior and Development (LSVD) explains and illustrates the processes by which individuals construct their work experiences, vocational pathways and career patterns through episodes of interaction with affordances they recognize within their contexts, and how counseling can facilitate those processes. The LSVD was created by combining the scientifically based systems theory that explicates the dynamics of all aspects of human functioning and development, called Humans as Self-Constructing Living Systems, with important ideas about vocational behavior and development. The resulting integrative theory represents the individual person as a dynamic, self-directing and self-constructing entity, i.e., a living system. Behavior Episodes (BEs) are the fundamental, person-in-context, dynamic units of analysis that serve as the “building blocks” by which individuals construct and retain their experiences in patterns that can be reactivated to facilitate future BEs. The book describes how individuals’ history of satisfying BEs and their current activities provide the means by which vocational and career counselors can assist them to create satisfying vocational pathways. It also describes for researchers how new, non-linear, person-centered, quantitative and qualitative research methods can be used to analyze BE patterns to advance understanding of person-level processes that play key roles in individuals’ vocational behavior and development. The LSVD was designed to be not just an integrative framework for the field of career development, but also to reconnect the field to related areas such as human resources and industrial-organizational psychology and to the range of human sciences that have already embraced a living systems theoretical model.

Preface; List of Tables; List of Figures xv 1. The Case for Integrative Theorizing in Vocational Behavior and Development 1 Current Status of Vocational Psychology 2 Conceptual and Definitional Issues 3 Historical Perspective on the Evolution of Career Development Theories 5 Trends Toward Integrative Theorizing 7 A Strategy for Creating an Integrative Theoretical Model 10 Concepts 11 Processes 14 Reframing the Task 15 The Person, Environment, and Fit 16 The Principle of Unitary Functioning 17 Personal Agency and Self-Regulation 18 Cognitive Guidance of Behavior Pattern Construction and Functioning 19 Affect and Emotion 19 Preferences, Capabilities and Skills (i.e., Interests, Aptitudes and Abilities) 20 2. Theoretical Foundation: The Living Systems Framework (LSF) 23 Person Patterns as the Basic Unit 24 The LSF Propositional Model: Processes Producing Integrated Dynamic Functioning and Change 26 General System Dynamics 28 Directive Functions 28 Regulatory and Evaluative Functions 28 Activity Organizing and Energizing Functions 29 Implementing Context Transactions 29 Monitoring Activity Patterns; Feedforward Processes 29 Feedback Processes 29 Examples of System Dynamics Functioning 29 Humans as Developmental Systems 30 Four Human Self-Construction Processes 31 Self-Direction 31 Self-Organization 31 Self-Achievement 31 Self-Regulation 31 Three Propositions of the Developmental Model Concerning How Change Occurs 32 Change and Development Always Starts with What Exists 32 Only You Can Change Yourself 32 Efforts to Change an Existing Pattern Will Not Begin Until That Pattern is Somehow Disrupted 32 The LSF Conceptual Model: Person and Context Components and Patterns 33 Person Attributes and Patterns 33 The Biological Aspect 36 The Psychological Aspect 37 The Transactional Aspect 39 Environment and Context Attributes and Patterns 39 Natural Environments and Contexts 41 Designed Environments and Contexts 41 Human Interpersonal Environments and Contexts 41 Socio-Cultural Environments and Contexts 41 Humans as Self-Constructing Living Systems 42 Behavior Episodes (BE): The Basic Unit for Creating and Understanding Developmental Pathways 42 Evaluative Processes and Learning from Behavior Episodes 44 Instrumental, Observational, and Thinking Behavior Episodes 45 Behavior Episode Schema (BES): Using Past Experience to Guide Current Behavior 46 The Dynamics of Stability, Change and Development in Humans 48 Nonlinear Dynamics and Complexity 48 Stability and Change Occur Through Behavior Episode Dynamics 49 Goal Setting as a Means of Self-Disruption; How Thinking, Remembering and Communication Work 51 Words are the Servants of Meanings 52 Memories are Constructions Rather than Recordings 53 Where are Memories When They are Not in Use? 53 Where are Action Patterns When They are Not Being Used? 54 3. A Living Systems Theory of Vocational Behavior and Development 55 The Nature and History of Vocational Behavior and Development 55 The Person-in-Context as a Hierarchically Organized, Integrated Unit 58 The Personal and Social Importance of Individuals’ Vocational Behavior and Development 59 Development of Vocational Pathways 60 Developing Activity Pathways Through BES Construction from Similar Behavior Episodes 61 The Role of Motivational Processes in the Development of Vocational Pathways 63 Self-Direction and Goal Setting Processes 64 A Taxonomy of Personal Goals 65 The Strength of Motivation 66 Self-Regulation And Evaluative Personal Agency Beliefs 67 Self-Regulation Through Affective and Emotion Patterns 69 Non-Motivational Implementation Processes and Vocational Pathway Development 70 Self-Construction Through Control Processes 70 Self-Construction Through Transactional Processes 72 Developing Successful and Rewarding Vocational and Career Pathways Through Effective Person-in-Context Functioning 73 Achievement and Competence in the Development of Vocational Pathways 73 Behavior Episode Activity Pathways Develop into VocationalPathways 75 Sue: How Shared Friendships Can Lead to New Activity Patterns 76 Owen: Behavior Episode Patterns Must Serve Personal Goals to Develop Into Vocational Pathways 77 Alex: Behavior Episodes in Potential Occupations Help Shape Vocational Development Decisions; An Analysis of How These Examples Meet the Four Vocational Pathway Criteria 79 Satisfying Work Activities and Contexts 79 Satisfactory Income 79 Availability of Employment Opportunities 79 Opportunity to Become Knowledgeable, Skilled and Effective 79 Conclusions 80 4. Applying the LSVD to Facilitate Vocational Behavior and Development 81 An Example of Vocational Counseling Processes: The Case of TED 82 A Prototypical First Session: Initiating the Counseling Relationship 82 A Typical Session 90 A Long-Term Follow-Up 92 Postscript to Ted’s Case 94 Examples of Developmental Processes in Ted’s Activity Patterns 94 Change Techniques and Processes Employed in Ted’s Case 95 General Counseling Principles Derived from the LSVD 97 The Collaborative Relationship 98 Working with Adolescents and Young Adults Who are New to the World of Work 99 Clarification of Goals 99 Goal Specification, Evaluation, and Implementation Processes 100 Working with Adults 101 Changing Established Career Pathways 102 Summary 102 5. Methodological Considerations 105 Focus on the Individual: Two Illustrative Examples 107 Examining Intraindividual Variability in Work Values Using P-Technique Factor Analysis 108 Examining Individuals’ Career Patterns Across Domain-Relevant Variables Using Cluster Analysis 109 Conceptual and Methodological Issues in Studying Intraindividual Variability and Change Processes 111 Methodological Advances 115 Time Series Analysis; Multivariate Time Series Analysis/Dynamic Factor Analysis 118 Mixed Methods: Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Methods 119 Types of Studies for Which Mixed Methods are Appropriate 120 Types of Mixed Method Designs 121 Using Behavior Episodes to Study Career Competence 122Context/Environment Assessment 122 Assessment of Resources that Could Aid Goal Achievement 123 6. Epilogue 125 References 127 Index;