1
Theory:
Holland’s Theory of Career Choice
Theorist:
John Holland
Biography:
Dr. John Holland was born in 1919. Dr. Holland has outstanding contributions to the areas
of vocational psychology and personality. His hexagonal theory of vocational interests and his
research has shown the importance of vocational personality interactions and the vocational
environment (The Career Key Blog: Dr. John L. Holland, 2008). Dr. Holland’s research has
shown that personalities seek out and grow in career environments they fit. Career environments
and jobs are classifiable by the personalities that flourish in them (The Career Key Blog: Dr.
John L. Holland, 2008).
He was the first in his work on assessments of university environments,
and their influence on students and the development of knowledge concerning non-academic
accomplishments. He contributed significantly to research on originality and interpersonal
competence (The Career Key Blog: Dr. John L. Holland, 2008). Dr. Holland received the Award
of Distinguished Scientific Applications of Psychology from the American Psychological
Association in 2008. The American Psychological Association presents the award to a person
“who has made distinguished theoretical or empirical advances leading to the understanding or
amelioration of important practical problems” (The Career Key Blog: Dr. John L. Holland,
2008). Dr. Holland passed away on November 27, 2008.
2
Description of Theory:
There are two different kinds of Career Development Theories- Structural and Developmental
Theories. Structural Theories- “focus on individual characteristics and occupational tasks,”
(Career Development Theory and Process, n.d.). Developmental Theories- “focus on human
development across life span,” (Career Development Theory and Process, n.d.). John Holland
was a Structural Theorist. Under the Structural Theory lies another theory- Trait and Factor
Theory. “This theory began with Parsons, who proposed that a choice of a vocation depended
upon (1) an accurate knowledge of yourself, (2) thorough knowledge of job specifications, and
(3) the ability to make a proper match between the two,” (Career Development Theory and
Process, n.d.). Unfortunately, there are still two major assumptions of the trait and factor theory
that are part of career counseling today. Those are: “(1) that individuals and job traits can be
matched (2) that close matches are positively correlated with job success and satisfaction,”
(Career Development Theory and Process, n.d.).
Holland based his theory on that people find jobs based on what is reflective of their
personality type. People seem to be attracted to certain types of work, thus the environment
then is reflective of their personality.
Holland classified personality types and work
environments into six categories. Those categories are: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social,
Enterprising, and Conventional- and this is often referred to the acronym RIASEC. Holland
believed the closer the match of the personality to the job- the greater the satisfaction (Career
Development Theory, 2003). Each individual can resemble all types- all types are in every
person. One type is shows strongest- Holland also stated that a person may even show up to three
types. He developed a hexagon model to illustrate his concepts of: Consistency, Differentiation,
Identity, and Congruence. See Figure One.
3
Realistic
Conventional
Enterprising
C
R
E
S
I
A
Investigative
Artistic
Social
Figure One
The Realistic type likes to work with their hands and things- tools and machines. Occupations
that fall into that category are farmers, carpenters, and mechanical engineers. The Investigative
personality type likes to work with information- abstract ideas and theories. A good match would
be a chemist. The Artistic personality likes to create things. Some occupations suggested are
painters or writers. The Social personality is someone who likes to help others. Occupations for
that personality are social workers or counselors. The Enterprising type of personality likes to
lead. They would be good as sales representatives or an entrepreneur. Last, the Conventional
Personality likes to organize data. A good match might be an auditor (Career Development
Theory, 2003).
Holland’s theory tends to be applicable for both genders. However, the downside
is that there has been some question that females tend to score higher in the female-dominated
areas of work- which tend to be social, artistic, and conventional. However, Holland’s theory
4
places an emphasis and accuracy on self- knowledge and knowledge of careers to make
necessary decisions regarding one’s occupational choice (Career Development Theory and
Process, n.d.).
Theory Measurements and Instrumentation:
The Career Key and the Self-Employment Key tests as well as other versions of The Career
Key test have been adapted in order for use in other countries. These tests are scientifically valid
and measure the six personality types of Holland’s Theory of Career Choice (The Career Key
Blog: Dr. John L. Holland, 2008). When using career tests, be sure to choose tests that are
scientifically valid measures.
Many career tests are invalid and can actually harm the
individual. If the individual is not sure if the career test is valid, they may visit this website:
http://www.careerkey.org/asp/your_personality/beware_harmfull_tests.asp
Other assessment instruments that may be used which measure congruence, differentiation,
consistency, and vocational Identity are: Self- Directed Search –SDS (Reardon, 1999),
Vocational Preference Inventory (Big Picture View of Career Development Theory, n.d.),,
Strong Interest Inventory (Big Picture View of Career Development Theory, n.d.), My
Vocational Situation, and Position Classification Inventory.
Reported by:
Holly S. McVay
5
References:
Beale, A. V. (2001). Emerging career development theories: a test for school counselors.
Retrieved 9-10-09 from
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0KOC/is_1_5/ai_80306017/
Big Picture View of Career Development Theory, (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2009 from
http://ccdf.ca/ccdf/NewCoach/english/ccoache/e4a_bp_theory.htm
Career Development Theory, (2003). Retrieved September 23, 2009 from
http://taracat.tripod.com/careertheory1.html
Career Development Theory and Process, (n.d). Retrieved September 23, 2009 from
http://www.virtualhabitats.com/Students/CareerCounselorWebquest/Career%20Develop
ment%20Theory.pdf
Chen, C. P. (2003). Integrating perspectives in career development theory and practice-Articles.
Retrieved 9-23-2009
from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JAX/is_3_51/ai_100389274/
From social learning to happenstance, (2004). Retrieved September 23, 2009 from
http://www.guidance-research.org/EG/impprac/ImpP2/traditional/learning-theory
Overview of Career Development Theories, (n.d). Retrieved September 23, 2009 from
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=overview+of+career+development
+theories&aq=f&oq=&aqi=
Overview of Career Development Theory, (n.d). Retrieved September 23, 2009 from
http://extension.psu.edu/workforce/briefs/overviewcareerdev(insert).pdf
Reardon, R. & Lenz, J. (1999). Holland’s Theory and Career Assessment. Journal of Vocational
Behavior, 55, 102-113.
The Career Key Blog: Dr. John L. Holland, 1919-2008. (2008). Retrieved December 10, 2009
from http://careerkey.blogspot.com/2008/12/dr-john-l-holland-1919-2008.html
6
Understanding and applying theories of career development, (2008). Retrieved September 10,
2009 from http://wps.prenhall.com/chet_niles_career_2/25/6587/1686373.cw/index.html