Tuesday, 6 December 2016

John L. Holland – The Vocational Choice Theory

Before you read any further – have a go at this quick quiz!!! - http://www.truity.com/test/holland-code-career-test




 
John L. Holland, born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1919, was an American Psychologist and Professor at John Hopkins University. During his lifetime he developed many theories, perhaps his most famous was Holland's ‘Theory of vocational personalities and work environments.’
He believed that people could be categorized into different personality groups. He concluded it was made up of six which were originally labeled as, ‘motoric, intellectual, esthetic, supportive, persuasive, and conforming.’ These were later developed and renamed to: ‘Realistic (Doers), Investigative (Thinkers), Artistic (Creators), Social (Helpers), Enterprising (Persuaders), and Conventional (Organizers).’
His research showed that personalities seek out environments where they can use their abilities and skills to flourish, Investigative types search for Investigative environments. Where there is a match, they tended to be more successful and have more job satisfaction, for example an Artistic personality, such as a performer, likes to work somewhere they can use their imagination and are free to express themselves.
  • Realistic (R): Realistic personalities prefer concrete tasks. They tend to like working alone or with other realistic people.
  • Investigative (I): Investigative personalities likes to use their abstract or analytical skills to figure things out. They are “thinkers” who strive to complete tasks and similarly to the Realistic personalities prefer to do so independently.
  • Artistic (A): Artistic members like to create things. They are imaginative and usually extroverted.
  • Social (S): Social people prefer interacting with people. They tend to be concerned with social problems and wants to help others.
  • Enterprising (E): Enterprising personalities lean toward leadership roles. They are willing to take on challenges and are extroverted.
  • Conventional (C): Individuals who are more conventional prefers structured tasks and tending to details. They tend to be more conservative.
These traits are laid out in a hexagon arrangement. The reason behind this is,
The further away the traits are - the less the types are have in common.
For example:
Conventional                      to                      Artistic
Enjoy working with data                             Likes to be creative and work
and structured environments.                    in unstructured environments.

I felt that this was relevant to my inquiry as it would be a great place to start when looking for a new career. Holland also developed the ‘Self-directed search’ which allows individuals to identify their dominant trait. This again will help my inquiry as it will help those looking to transition who are stuck to know what fields they should explore.
I have listed a website where you can find out more information and see what jobs would suit each personality trait:  https://www.careerkey.org/choose-a-career/hollands-theory-of-career-choice.html#.WEXJHIXXLIW

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