The Big Five Career Theories

This chapter focuses on the five theories of career development that have guided career guidance and counselling practice and research in the USA and internationally over the past few decades. These are: (1) theory of work-adjustment; (2) Holland’s theory of vocational personalities in work environment; (3) the self-concept theory of career development formulated by Super and more recently by Savickas; (4) Gottfredson’s theory of circumscription and compromise; and (5) social cognitive career theory. The author adopts an international perspective and selectively reviews studies of these theories conducted in regions around the world. The objectives of the chapter are to: review the core conceptual propositions and the evolvement of the ‘big five’ career development models, and discuss components of these models relevant to international career guidance professionals; review recent international empirical work done outside the USA in relation to these models; and discuss the directions that could be taken by researchers and practitioners to advance and adapt or ‘indigenise’ the five theories in their own cultural contexts.

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