November 24, 2009Fontys Hogescholen1 Choice and Development in Career International Study Conference ‘Career Development’ Someren, November 23-27, 2009.

November 24, 2009

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Choice and Development in Career

International Study Conference ‘Career Development’

Someren, November 23-27, 2009

Drs. Tom Luken, lector Career Development

Fontys Hogeschool HRM and Psychology

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Programme:

Two theses: Choosing is emphasized too much Developmental level is not enough taken

into account

We should not help to choose better, but we should better help develop!

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I. Choice

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Programma

Twee stellingen Kiezen staat te centraal Er wordt onvoldoende rekening gehouden

met het ontwikkelingsniveau van leerlingen/studenten

Niet beter helpen kiezen, maar beter helpen ontwikkelen!

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“Many students stop within one week. Than you think: could they not reflect a little bit more about their choice of study?”

(Doekle Terpstra, chairman HBO-raad)

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Kiezen centraal 6

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Base: three generally accepted ideas: Information (as much as possible?!)

leads to realistic images of studies Reflection leads to good choices Good choices lead to success

These ideas are often wrong!

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Problems with the central position of choosing:

too instantaneous too conscious and maybe illusionary

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Further problems with the emphasis on choice Peg-hole thinking Too static: the future moves (more and

more) Too difficult Too individual Too one-sided Leads to : forced reflection

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The risks of reflection

Ruminating

Bad thinking habits and wrong (self) concepts

Suboptimal choices! Distorted feeling

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Conclusions choice

We confront many students with a ‘mission impossible’ and blame them when it goes wrong

We should emphasize choices less and the process of career development more

Reflection should be guided better (dialogue!) Not only information and helping to reflect is

important, but as well: perceiving, feeling, remembering, imaging,

wanting and doing

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II Development

To what extent are (young) people able to direct their own careers?Two trails coming together:• Recent brain research• Older theories and research about development

What does this mean for coaching?

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Breinresearch

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Conclusions brain research:

• The construction of the brain is not finished in puberty, but continues untill well after age 20.

• Development varies strongly between individuals, but

• is in general faster in girls than in boys• Complex activities are carried out by different

parts of the brain together

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• The prefrontal cortex is essential for:

empathy, control of impulses, effective thinking about (moral) dilemma’s, getting an overview on complex information, thinking ahead and planning.

• This part of the brain – and its connections to other parts – starts to develop around age 16 and is finished only somewhere between age 20 and 30.

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Consequences:• Adolescents untill age 18 make choices

impulsively. They attend much more to positive than to negative consequences of their choices. They pay little attention to alternatives, long term and risks.

• They are strongly influenced by their social environment.

• It’s difficult for them to integrate thinking and feeling.

• These points make self-direction problematic.

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Some theories about development:• Jean Piaget• Lawrence Kohlberg• Jane Loevinger• William Perry• Robert Kegan• William Torbert• Michiel Westenberg• …

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Robert Kegan: underlying principleKnowing presupposes a subject (the knower) and an object (what is known)Subject: what we are (you cannot see your own eye, a fish only knows the world of the water)Object: what we can look at, think about, be responsible for…Develpment: what was subject becomes object in a stepwise way.

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Robert Kegan: “orders of consciousness”1. Impulsive (“Social Perceptions”)

2. Instrumental (“Point of View”, imperial)

3. Interpersonal (“Mutuality/ Inter individual”, socialising, traditional)

4. Self-directing (“Institutional”, Self-authoring”, modern)

5. Self transformational (“Interinstitutional”, Interindividual, Dialectisch, postmodern)

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Instrumental/ Imperial

Instrumental/ Imperial (second)• Concrete (how, not why)• Directed to own interests, needs, wishes• When I give something, I expect something in

return• Little empathy• Black/white, cause/effect, true/not true• Need for clear instructions, step by step

procedures

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Interpersonal (third)• Abstract and hypothetical thinking• Self concept and values stem from others• Identification with others • Internalize (too) easily the point of view of

others• Feel responsible for the feelings of others (and

v.v.)• Think it’s important that other people like them

(or admire etc.)• Sensitive for criticism and conflicts in his own

group

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Self-directing (fourth)• Realizes that knowledge is constructed and

values and ethics are situational • Recognizes assumptions and thinks out of the

box (double loop learning)• Autonomous, not tied to rules and conventions• Can question own ideas without loss of self

esteem• Appreciate the positive side of conflict, criticism

and differences

• Feels responsible, also for own mood• Judges self (also) through own eyes• Can maintain limits• Creates own career on basis of own views• Can smoothly change roles• Is necessary for real competency and self-

direction

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Facts• At most 50% of people with higher education

in the USA reaches level 4.• 21% of whole population• Women probably more often than men• Modal level of adults is 3

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Westpoint Military Academy, Subject-object interviews at three moments, n=52, in % (2005).

Level Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

2

2/3

3

3/4

4

21

63

16

0

0

23

52

19

6

0

6

31

44

19

0

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Loevinger: stages of ego-development

1. Pre-social– No discrimination between self and world

2. Impulsive– Little comprehension of causality and rules

3 Self-Protective– Understands rules– Hedonistic– Not responsible for what goes wrong

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4 Conformist (from age about 13 or 14)– Identifies with group

– Preoccupied with appearance, belonging, being accepted

5. Self-Aware (from age about 17 or 18)– Developing Inner Life: banal feelings in reference to

others

– Sees differences between people better

6. Conscientious (no special age; often never)– Sense of Responsibility

– Standards are Self-Chosen

– Own goals and ideals

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7. Individualistic– See difference between role and person– Accept differences between people– Emotional independence

8. Autonomous– Tolerate Ambiguity – Integrate Ideas– Concern for Emotional Interdependence– Integrates Different Identities

9. Self-Actualizing – Transcendence of Conflicts

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Leeftijd ± Loevinger Kegan

0 - 1,5 1 Pre-sociaalImpulsive (1)

1,5 - 6 2 Impulsive

6 - 12 3 Self-protecting Instrumental (2)

12 - … 4 ConformistInterpersonal (3)

  5 Self-aware

  6 ConscientiousSelf-directing (4)

  7 Individualistic

  8 AutonomousSelf-transforming (5)  9 Self-Actuali-

zing

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Conclusions• The developmental theories are confirmed by

the brainresearch. The emperical facts show:• Self-direction is too difficult for many students

and even adults. Education and organizations ask too much. This leads to mutual frustration.

• The differences between individuals are big.• We do not know to what extent development

can be accelerated.

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• In fostering development it is essential to depart from the present level.

• Self-direction is important as a means (for learning) and as a goal (society needs more and more self-directing individuals:

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“… a glance through almost any newspaper reveals that the ill-structured problems of the modern world are not effectively solved by avoiding conflicts over ideas, depending on authorities to provide solutions, and assuming that one’s own group (…) is in some essential way better or righter than those from whom we differ.” (Taylor, 2006: 215)

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General conclusions

The emphasis on choosing was understandable in the 20th century, but is now more and more outdated

We should emphasize development and finding and adapting course instead of choosing

We should put ourselves more into the position of students

The educational system should be suited better to what we know now about development