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CHAPTER 2
TRAIT AND FACTOR THEORY
Trait – a characteristic of an individual that can be measured through assessment.
Factor – a characteristic required for successful job performance.
Trait and factor – the assessment of characteristics of the person and the job.
Based on the work of Frank Parsons, Choosing a Vocation (1909).
STEP 1 - GAINING SELF-UNDERSTANDING
Interviews and discussions, as well as tests and inventories are used, especially pertaining to
interests, aptitude, achievement, values, and personality.
Aptitude
Reveals a person’s probable future level of ability to perform a task (achievement – reveals
Achievement:
Broad range of events that people participate in and accomplish during their lifetime.
Three types of achievement:
Interests:
Has become the most important trait used in occupational selection.
Minimal overlap between interests and abilities, meaning some people may like things they
can’t do well, or some may be good at activities they don’t like.
Values
Important, but difficult concept to measure. For career counseling, two types of values are
considered: general values (Study of Values [SV]) and work-related values (Supers Work
Values Inventory- Revised [SWVI
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Personality: Two inventories that are discussed in the text: California Psychological Inventory
STEP 2 - OBTAINING KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE WORLD OF WORK
Three aspects of occupational information: type of information (i.e. description of job, working
conditions, salary), classification, and the trait and factor requirements for each occupation that
one is seriously considering (aptitude, achievement, interest, value, and personality traits).
Types of Occupational Information
Occupational Outlook Handbook
National Career Development Association Guidelines
Classification Systems
A way to organize information
Examples:
3 different government classification systems
Holland’s classification of occupations
Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT)
9 digit code: first digit identifies one of 9 broad categories, 2nd digit breaks up
Trait and Factor Requirements
STEP 3 - INTEGRATING INFORMATION ABOUT ONESELF AND THE WORLD OF WORK
The manuals that accompany many inventories indicate which occupations match specific
patterns of scores.
Computer guidance systems (not only tests and inventories) can be used in trait and factor
theory.
SIGI3
DISCOVER
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APPLYING THE THEORY TO CULTURALLY DIVERSE POPULATIONS
