Adult Career Crises and Transitions Transition: movement from one stage to another.

Schlossberg’s 4 types of transitions: _Anticipated -happens in the lifespan of most people e.g. graduation, marriage, starting a job, retirement _Unanticipated - unexpected events, such as death of a family member, being fired or transferred _“Chronic hassles” - situations such as a long commute to work, an unreasonable supervisor _Nonevents (events that don’t happen) - an event that someone wishes to happen, but never occurs e.g. a promotion that never happens; for women: not being able to leave or enter the workforce easily

Normative role transitions Anticipated and voluntary (e.g. starting your first full-time job) Occurs in Super’s exploration stage Become crises when not anticipated

Louis’s 5 categories of normative transitions Entering or reentering a labor pool Taking on a different role in an organization Moving from one organization to another Changing professions Leaving the labor pool

Career Transitions Inventory – to assess how well people believe they have made career transitions; 5 subscales: ·Readiness – how motivated you are to make a career transition ·Confidence – one’s sense of self-efficacy in being able to make a successful transition ·Control – degree to which people feel they can make their own decisions ·Perceived Support – how much support people feel they get from their friends and family ·Decision Independence – the extent to which people make decisions based primarily on their own needs or whether or not they are considering the needs and desires of others

Nonnormative career events Far more likely to become crises than normative transitions Most common – loss of a job (being fired or laid off), can be devastating unless the work role is not a salient one Other examples – promotion, transfer, or demotion to another job

Persistent occupational problems career problems that persist for a long period of time, causing a cumulative effect that can lead to a transition crisis examples – unpleasant work environment, pressures on the job, relations with colleagues and superiors

Two basic phases of transitions. Dealing with and decreasing stress Attending towards details of the crisis so that one can return to normal life

Outplacement counselors can help with these severe reactions (e.g. shock and negative emotional impact) Help people access their current situations, abilities, values, and interest Help clients set career goals and develop strategies for job search Teach resume writing, interviewing, and locating job or educational opportunities.

HOPSON AND ADAM’S MODEL OF ADULT TRANSITIONS Immobilization Example: initial shock when you find out you’ve been fired Overwhelmed, unable to make plans, possibly unable to verbally respond Few moments to few months¼how long it lasts depends on situation and psychological makeup of person

Minimization Desire to make the change appear smaller than it is Often, person will deny that change is even taking place or will tell herself that event doesn’t matter

Self-Doubt Doubting oneself and one’s ability to provide for oneself and for one’s dependents Common reactions are anxiety due to not knowing what will happen, fear of the future, sadness, and anger

Letting Go Individual lets go of angry, tense, frustrated, or other feelings Accepts what is really happening to her Detaches herself from original situation and starts to look at future

Testing Out May develop a burst of energy, a sense of “now I can do it” Sometimes people will describe the way things should be, may have advice for others in the same situation May have ideas of how they will move forward

Search for Meaning Seeks to understand how events are different and why Cognitive process in which people try to understand not only the feelings of others, but also their own

Internalization Change in both values and lifestyle May have developed new coping skills and has grown emotionally, spiritually, or cognitively as a result of going through difficult crisis

CAREER CRISES AFFECTING WOMEN 1.Experiencing discrimination – usually unanticipated and involuntary 2.Making decisions based on child-raising and family issues – most times anticipated and voluntary, but not always 3.Facing sexual harassment – dramatic, unanticipated, and involuntary

Paper # 3, EPSY 542 Discuss a critical turning point in you own life/career path by applying Super’s theory. Discuss you life stage at the time of the occurrence, and your transition through subsequent substages. Also discuss any changes in self-concept that occurred, as well as changes in values and roles played in the context of Super’s theory (Ch. 7, 8, & 9). Length = 4 pages, 50 points.