CHAPTER 13
KRUMBOLTZ’S SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY
Bandura’s reinforcement theory and observational learning.
Individuals’ personalities come more from their learning experiences than from their genetics.
Examines four basic factors to understand why people choose the work they do as well as other
occupationally related decisions.
GENETIC INFLUENCES
• Those aspects of the individual that are inherited or innate rather than learned, such as
physical appearance, or predisposition to illnesses.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AND EVENTS
• Outside the control of the individual.
• Social, cultural, political, and economic considerations
• Also, climate and geography
Structured Educational Settings
The availability of education is influenced by both social and personal factors.
One’s school system and the effect of teachers are also significant.
Little control over number and nature of job opportunities.
LEARNING EXPERIENCES
Career preferences are a result of one’s prior learning experiences.
Each person’s learning experience is unique.
Two basic types of learning experiences:
Instrumental Learning Experiences (H)
Three Components
• Antecedents – refers to almost any type of condition; people respond to
antecedents with behavior
• 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.
Associative Learning Experiences (O)
TASK APPROACH SKILLS
• Understanding how people approach tasks.
CLIENT COGNITIVE AND BEHAVIORAL SKILLS
Self-Observation Generalizations about Abilities
• Based on prior experiences and information individuals have acquired about
themselves.
• Accuracy of generalizations is related to comparing to others.
Self-Observation Generalizations about Interests
• Generalizations about what you like and don’t like.
Self-Observation Generalizations about Values
Generalizations about the World
• Besides themselves, people make generalizations about the world in which they live
and the people around them.
COUNSELOR BEHAVIORAL STRATEGIES
Reinforcement
• Most important technique, with the broadest use, applies to all phases of career
counseling.
Role Models
• Valuable associative learning experience.
• Counselors can be role models or provide their clients role models.
COGNITIVE STRATEGIES FOR COUNSELING
Goal Clarification
• Clear and identifiable goals, restate goals.
Counter a Troublesome Belief
• Reframing – method of dealing with troublesome beliefs.
HAPPENSTANCE LEARNING THEORY: FUNDAMENTAL GOALS FOR CAREER
COUNSELING
Emphasis on learning.
Facilitate the learning of skills, interests, beliefs, values, work habits, and personal qualities that
enable clients to create a satisfying life within a constantly changing work environment,
learning about self and the environment.
1: The goal of career counseling is to help clients learn to take actions to achieve more
satisfying career and personal lives—not to make a single career decision.
APPLYING PLANNED HAPPENSTANCE THEORY TO CAREER COUNSELING
Planned happenstance – taking advantage of chance events in one’s life.
• Counselors help clients recognize and incorporate chance events into their lives, as
well as generate such events.
• Planned happenstance theory is positive and encouraging (it replaces indecision
with open-mindedness).
Five skills are helpful in dealing with chance career opportunities
• Curiosity– Explore opportunities resulting from chance events
The goal of counseling in dealing with planned happenstance is to initiate a learning process
that encourages curiosity and helps clients to take advantage of unplanned events
Four steps to Happenstance Learning Theory – steps may overlap at times.
Step 1: Normalize learning from happenstance in the client’s history.
THE ROLE OF OCCUPATIONAL INFORMATION
Accurate occupational information is essential to the application of social learning theory.
Krumboltz has designed job experience kits – used to simulate occupations; provide
exercises that are similar to tasks done by people working in the occupations.
Also developed computer simulations of occupations.
THE ROLE OF ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTS
Assessment of individuals’ abilities, interests, and values is not mentioned, but can be
useful.
APPLYING SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY TO WOMEN
Women have some control over their environmental forces.
APPLYING SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY TO CULTURALLY DIVERSE POPULATIONS
Not much research.
Cultures vary as to which occupations they glamorize or value.
Cultures vary as to values such as income or spirituality that they attend to.
COUNSELOR ISSUES
Listen to the client to determine the best way to respond to unexpected events.
Determine whether the client’s problems fit within the competencies and ethical standards