Abstract
In this article we review severalissues that contribute to the contextual actiontheory of career and counselling. This theoryis based on the notion that career isconstructed through the intentionalgoal-directed actions of persons and thatcounselling is a process that involves bothaction and career. The development of thistheory has relied on several criticaldiscussions, including vocation asrelationship, hermeneutics and phenomenology,methodological diversity, interpretation andnarrative, action theory, emotional processes,joint career development projects, thequalitative action-project method, includingthe self-confrontation interview,contextualizing career counselling, socialconstructionism and family projects. Whenconsidered together, these issues contribute toa substantial and integrated view of career andcounselling.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Boesch, E. E. (1991). Symbolic action theory and cultural psychology. New York: Springer-Verlag.
Bujold, C. (1990). Biographical-hermeneutical approaches to the study of career development. In R. A. Young & W. A. Borgen (Eds.), Methodological approaches to the study of career (pp. 57–69). New York: Praeger Publishers.
Campos, J. J., Campose, R. G., & Barrett, K. C. (1989). Emergent themes in the study of emotional development and emotional regulation. Developmental Psychology, 25, 394–402.
Cochran, L. R. (1990). Narrative as paradigm for career research. In R. A. Young & W. A. Borgen (Eds.), Methodological approaches to the study of career (pp. 71–86). New York: Praeger Publishers.
Collin, A. (1990). Mid-life career change research. In R. A. Young & W. A. Borgen (Eds.), Methodological approaches to the study of career (pp. 197–220). New York: Praeger Publishers.
Collin, A., & Young, R. A. (1986). New directions for theories of career. Human Relations, 39, 837–853.
Collin, A., & Young, R.A. (1988). Career development and hermeneutical inquiry: Part II-Undertaking hermeneutical research. Canadian Journal of Counselling, 22, 191–201.
Collin, A., & Young, R. A. (1992). Constructing career through narrative and context: An interpretive perspective. In R. A. Young & A. Collin (Eds.), Interpreting career: Hermeneutical studies of lives in context (pp. 1–12). Westport, CT: Praeger.
Collins, W. A., & Russell, G. (1991). Mother-child and Father-child relationships in middle childhood and adolescence: A developmental analysis. Developmental Review, 11, 99–136.
Dewey, J. (1969). The logic of verification. In John Dewey: The early works (Vol. 3, pp. 83–92). Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press. (Original work published 1890)
Dix, T. (1991). The affective organization of parenting: Adaptive and maladaptive processes. Psychological Bulletin, 110, 3–25.
Egan, G. (1998). The skilled helper: A problem-management approach to helping (6th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Feltham, C., & Dryden, W. (1993). Dictionary of counselling. London: Whurr.
Fisher, D. (1990). Field research and career education. In R. A. Young & W. A. Borgen (Eds.), Methodological approaches to the study of career (pp. 127–144). New York: Praeger Publishers.
Frijda, N. H. (1986). The emotions. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Gaskell, J. (1990). The politics of methodological decisions. In R. A. Young & W. A. Borgen (Eds.), Methodological approaches to the study of career (pp. 221–235). New York: Praeger Publishers.
Greenberg, L. S. (1993). Emotion and change processes in psychotherapy. In M. Lewis and J. M. Haviland (Eds.), Handbook of emotions (pp. 499–508). New York: Guilford Press.
Isaacson, L. E., & Brown, D. (2000). Career information, career counseling and career development. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Kalbermatten, U., & Valach, L. (1985). Methods of an integrative approach for the study of social interaction. Communication and Cognition, 18(3), 281–315.
Kieselbach, T. (1990). Help-seeking and coping with unemployment. In R. A. Young & W. A. Borgen (Eds.), Methodological approaches to the study of career (pp. 163–184). New York: Praeger Publishers.
Larson, R. W., & Richards, M. H. (1994). Family emotions: Do young adolescents and their parents experience the same states? Journal of Research on Adolescence, 4, 567–583.
Macoby, E. E. (1992). The role of parents in the socialization of children: An historical overview. Developmental Psychology, 28, 1006–1017.
Mahoney, M. (1991). Human change processes. New York: Basic Books.
Mead, G. H. (1934). Mind, self and society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Moscovici, S. (1981). On social representations. In J. P. Forgas (Ed.), Social cognition (pp. 181–209). London: Academic Press.
Niles, S. G., & Hartung, P. A. (2000). Emerging career theories. In D. A. Luzzo (Ed.), Career counseling of college students: An empirical guide to strategies that work (pp. 23–42). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Parker, I. (1992). Discourse dynamics: Critical analysis for social and individual psychology. London: Routledge.
Patton, W., & McMahon, M. (1999). Career development and systems theory: A new relationship. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Polkinghorne, D. E. (1990). Action theory approaches to career research. In R. A. Young & W. A. Borgen (Eds.), Methodological approaches to the study of career (pp. 87–105). New York: Praeger.
Shotter, J. (1993). Conversational realities: Constructing life through language. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Thompson, R. A. (1993). Socioemotional development: Enduring issues and new challenges. Developmental Review, 13, 372–402.
Valach, L. (1990). A theory of goal-directed action in career analysis. In R. A. Young & W. A. Borgen (Eds.), Methodological approaches to the study of career (pp. 107–126). New York: Praeger.
Valach, L., Michel, K., Dey, P., & Young, R. A. (2002). Self-confrontation interview with suicide attempters. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 15(1), 1–22.
Valach, L., Young, R. A., & Lynam, M. J. (1996). The family's health promotion project. Journal of Health Psychology, 1(1), 49–63.
Valach, L., Young, R. A., & Lynam, M. J. (2002). Action theory: A primer for research in the social sciences. Westport, CT: Praeger.
von Cranach, M., & Harré R. (Eds.) (1982). The analysis of action: Recent theoretical and empirical advances. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
von Cranach, M., Kalbermatten, U., Indermuehler, K., & Gugler, B. (1982). Goal directed action. London: Academic Press.
Vondracek, F. (1990). A developmental-contextual approach to career development research. In R. A. Young & W. A. Borgen (Eds.), Methodological approaches to the study of career (pp. 37–56). New York: Praeger Publishers.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Young, R. A. (1983). Career development of adolescents: An ecological perspective. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 12, 401–418.
Young, R. A. (1984). Vocation as relationship. Counseling and Values, 28, 169–178.
Young, R. A. (1990). Introduction. In R. A. Young & W. A. Borgen (Eds.), Methodological approaches to the study of career (pp. xi–xviii). New York: Praeger Publishers.
Young, R. A., Antal, S., Bassett, M. E., Seigo, N., Post, A., & Valach, L. (1999). The joint actions of adolescents in peer conversations about career. Journal of Adolescence, 22, 527–538.
Young, R. A., Ball, J., Valach, L., Turkel, H., & Wong, Y. S. (2003). The family career development project in Chinese Canadian families. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 62, 287–304.
Young, R. A., & Borgen, W. A. (Eds.) (1990). Methodological approaches to the study of career. New York: Praeger Publishers.
Young, R. A., & Collin, A. (1988). Career development and hermeneutical inquiry: Part I. The framework of a hermeneutical approach. Canadian Journal of Counselling, 22, 153–161.
Young, R. A., & Collin, A. (Eds.) (1992). Interpreting career: Hermeneutical studies of lives in context. Westport, CT: Praeger.
Young, R. A., & Collin, A. (Eds.) (in press). Constructivism, social constructionism, and career theory. Special Issue of the Journal of Vocational Behavior.
Young, R. A., Lynam, M. A., Valach, L., Novak, H., Brierton, I., & Christopher, A. (2000). Parent-adolescent health conversations as action: Theoretical and methodological issues. Psychology and Health, 15, 853–868.
Young, R. A., Lynam, M. J., Valach, L., Novak, H., Brierton, I., & Christopher, A. (2001). Joint actions of parents and adolescents in health conversation. Qualitative Health Research, 11, 40–57.
Young, R. A., Paseluikho, M. A., & Valach, L. (1997). Emotion in the construction of career in conversations between parents and adolescents. Journal of Counseling and Development, 76, 36–44.
Young, R. A., & Valach, L. (1996). Interpretation and action in career counseling. In M. L. Savickas & W. B. Walsh (Eds.), Handbook of career counseling theory and practice (pp. 361–376). Palo Alto: Davies-Black.
Young, R. A., & Valach, L. (2003). The construction of career through joint action in families. In R. A. Young & A. Collin (Co-chairs), Social constructionism and career theory, research, and practice, Symposium conducted at the 111th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Toronto, Canada.
Young, R. A., & Valach, L. (in press). The construction of career process through goal-directed action. In R. A. Young & A. Collin (Eds.), Constructivism, social constructionism and career theory [Special Issue]. Journal of Vocational Behavior.
Young, R. A., Valach, L., Ball, J., Paseluikho, M. A., Wong, Y. S., DeVries, R. J., McLean, H., & Turkel, H. (2001). Career development as a family project. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 48, 190–202.
Young, R. A., Valach, L., & Collin, A. (1996). A contextual approach to career. In D. Brown, L. Brooks & Associates (Eds.), Career choice and development (3rd ed., pp. 477–512). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Young, R.A., Valach, L., & Collin, A. (2002). A contextual explanation of career. In D. Brown & Associates (Eds.), Career choice and development (4th ed., pp. 206–250). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Young, R. A., Valach, L., Dillabough, J., Dover, C., & Matthes, G. (1994). Career research from an action perspective: The self-confrontation procedure. Career Development Quarterly, 43, 185–196.
Young, R. A., Valach, L., Paseluikho, M. A., Dover, C., Matthes, G. E, Paproski, D. L., & Sankey, A. M. (1997). The joint action of parents and adolescents in conversation about career. Career Development Quarterly, 46, 72–86.
Zunker, V. G. (1998). Career counseling: Applied concepts of life planning (5th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Valach, L., Young, R.A. Some Cornerstones in the Development of a Contextual Action Theory of Career and Counselling. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance 4, 61–81 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:IJVO.0000021138.12299.cf
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:IJVO.0000021138.12299.cf