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CHAPTER 10: ADULT CAREER CRISES AND TRANSITIONS
Transition – from a stage point of view, it is the movement from one stage to another, may be
smooth.
Crisis – more negative term, a situation in which a person has to develop new methods of dealing
with a problem that has arisen rather suddenly and may be disorienting.
TYPES OF TRANSITIONS
Schlossberg’s 4 types of transitions:
• Anticipated -happens in the lifespan of most people
e.g. graduation, marriage, starting a job, retirement
Hopson and Adams class of transitions:
• voluntary - e.g. quitting one job to do another
• involuntary - e.g. being fired or laid off
CATEGORIES OF CAREER TRANSITIONS
Career events are classified into three areas (Schlossberg): normative, nonnormative, and
persistent occupational problems
1. Normative role transitions
Anticipated and voluntary (e.g. starting your first full-time job)
Become crises when not anticipated
Types of careers (Hall and colleagues)
• Kaleidoscope careers- Like a kaleidoscope with many changing colors, such
occupations require many decisions each day that impact one’s career. Decisions
are authentic, balanced, and challenging.
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
2. Nonnormative career events
• Far more likely to become crises than normative transitions.
3. Persistent occupational problems
• Career problems that persist for a long period of time, causing a cumulative
effect that can lead to a transition crisis.
MODELS OF TRANSITIONS AND CRISES
Reaction to crises takes place over a period of time.
Two basic phases of transitions.
• Dealing with and decreasing stress.
• Attending towards details of the crisis so that one can return to normal life.
Individuals respond to job loss with depression, anxiety and reduced self-esteem.
HOPSON AND ADAM’S MODEL OF ADULT TRANSITIONS
Immobilization
• Example: initial shock when you find out you’ve been fired.
Minimization
• Desire to make the change appear smaller than it is.
Self-Doubt
• Doubting oneself and one’s ability to provide for oneself and for one’s
dependents
Letting Go
• Individual lets go of angry, tense, frustrated, or other feelings.
Testing Out
• May develop a burst of energy, a sense of “now I can do it.”
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.
CAREER CRISES AFFECTING WOMEN
Three general types of career crises more likely to affect women than men.
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.
Temporary Re-entry into and Leave-taking from the Labor Force
• Women may follow a large variety of patterns in going in and out of the labor
Sexual Harassment
• May be an unanticipated, involuntary crisis that threatens one’s career and
psychological health.
Till’s 5 levels of sexual harassment:
• Level 1: Gender Harassment – verbal remarks or non-touching behaviors that
are sexual in nature
• Level 3: Sexual Bribery – request for sexual activity in turn for some kind of
reward
Adult women who are sexually harassed – 16% to 90%; several studies – 25% to 50%,
most cases are the least severe level.
How do victims respond? Fitzgerald and Ormerod summarize reaction into 2 major
categories:
Internally focused strategies
• Minimizing a behavior or denying it is really offensive
Externally focused strategies
• Avoiding or placating the harasser
Gutek and Koss’ Four stages of reacting to sexual harassment
• Confusion and Self-Blame – individual assumes responsibility
• Fear and Anxiety – fear for career and safety
CAREER CRISES AFFECTING CULTURALLY DIVERSE POPULATIONS
Discrimination is well documented as a major problem for members of minority groups in
their career development.
COUNSELOR ISSUES
Counselor’s experience with her own crises and transitions.
Problems when the counselor is in crisis.
