Career Counseling and Krumboltz’s
Social Learning Theory
Looking at the “triadic reciprocal interaction system”
Bandura’s reinforcement theory
and observational learning
 Individuals’ personalities come more from their
learning experiences than from their genetics
 Learning by observation and by doing
 Acknowledges the role of behavior, thoughts and images
 Triadic reciprocal interaction system –
interaction of the environment, personal
factors (memories, beliefs, preferences, and selfperceptions), and actual behavior
Bandura’s reciprocal interaction:
Environmental Factors
Personal Factors
Actual Behavior
Bandura’s reciprocal interaction
Personal Factors
Self-System
Cognitive Structures & Perceptions
Behavior
Environment
Krumboltz’s Social Learning Theory
Genetic
Endowment
Environment & Learning
Events
Experiences
1. Social Factors
2. Educational
conditions
3. Occupational
Conditions
1. Insturmental
Learning (H)
2. Associative
Learning
Experiences (O)
TaskApproach
Skills
Client
Cognitive
&
Behavioral
Skills
Self-observation
Generalizations
1.
about Abilities
2.
About Values
3.
About the
World
Instrumental Learning Experiences (H) vs. Associative
Learning Experiences (O)
 Three Components:
 Antecedents – refers to
almost any type of
condition; people respond to
antecedents with behavior
 Behaviors – may be obvious
or subtle, may have impact
on others
 Consequences – may be
obvious or subtle

Example: if someone gets
an A on an exam, she will be
more likely to continue
studying in that field than if
she does poorly
 When an individual pairs a
situation that was
previously neutral with one
that is positive or negative,
an associative learning
experience occurs
Krumboltz’s Social Learning Theory
Counselor Behavior Strategies
 Reinforcement
 Role Models
 Role-Playing
 Simulation
Cognitive Strategies for Counseling
 Goal Clarification
 Counter a Troublesome Belief
 Look for Inconsistencies between Words and
Actions
 Cognitive Rehearsal
Social Learning Theory Goals for Career Counseling
 1. People need to expand their capabilities and
interests, and not base decisions on existing
characteristics only.
 2. People need to prepare for changing work tasks,
and not assume that occupations will remain
stable.
 3. People need to be empowered to take action, not
merely given a diagnosis.
Applying Planned Happenstance Theory to
Career Counseling
 5 Skills helpful in dealing with chance career
opportunities.
 Curiosity
 Persistence
 Flexibility
 Optimism
 Risk Taking
Applying Planned Happenstance Theory to
Career Counseling
 Step 1: Normalize planned happenstance in the
client’s history
 Step 2: Assist clients to transform curiosity into
opportunity for learning and exploration.
 Step 3: Teach clients to produce desirable chance
events.
 Step 4: Teach clients to overcome blacks to action.