SAMPLE ESSAY EXAMINATION QUESTIONS
APPLYING CAREER DEVELOPMENT THEORY TO
COUNSELING-6E
1. List two important aspects of a theory. (ch.1)
2. List three propositions that describe Parsons’s approach to career selection. (ch. 2)
5. In what way is general trait and factor theory more difficult to use than Holland‘s theory? (ch. 2
and 5)
6. In what ways are Holland’s Realistic type of person different from the Investigative type? (ch. 5)
7. Demonstrate how human capital theory is related to trait and factor theory. (ch. 2 and 3)
10. Melvin has had a job in a travel agency for five years. This is a 25-person travel agency with 20
agents, four supervisors and one manager. Melvin very much enjoys his job, as it is secure, the
building is modern, he works on his own, and is well paid. He also gets great satisfaction out of
helping his customers plan excellent vacation and business trips. Recently he was disappointed
because his application for a vacant supervisor position was denied.
Explain the above scenario, using work adjustment theory, and Kohn’s observations of the effect of
the work environment on the individual. (ch. 3 and 4)
14. Lauren is considering her career choices. She very much enjoys math and physics classes in
college. Her grades are excellent so far. In high school, she enjoyed science fairs. She also
worked in a drugstore for several summers. She managed employees while her boss was away.
Using Holland’s concepts, analyze her dilemma, interests, and choices. (ch. 5)
15. You are director of a community career-counseling center. Tim has applied for a job at your
agency. When you ask him about his theory of career counseling, he replies: “I only need to use
the Myers-Briggs, because if I know someone’s type, I know what career will work best for
them.” Would you hire him? Use trait and factor theory and Myers-Briggs theory to explain
your answer. (ch. 2 and 6)
18. Give three ways in which Lofquist and Dawis’s work adjustment theory can be considered
superior to Holland’s theory. (ch. 4 and 5)
19. Give three ways in which Holland’s theory can be considered superior to Lofquist and Dawis’
theory of Work Adjustment. (ch. 4 and 5)
20. Henry enjoys religion, art, and music. He likes to be meditative and consider world problems by
himself. He is a medical technologist who enjoys studying philosophy. Although he has minimal
21. Compare Super’s theory of the career development of children with that of Howard and Walsh.
Which do you prefer? Why? (ch. 7)
22. What does Super mean by time perspective? Give an example. (ch. 7)
23. Define Gottfredson’s concepts of circumscription and compromise. (ch. 7)
26. Janice is an eighth grade student who would like to choose a career; she has never thought about
occupations and knows nothing about careers, but wants to take ability and interests tests. Use
and describe Super’s conception of career maturity for adolescents to describe those activities she
should participate in. (ch. 8)
29. Marvin has arrived at his senior year of high school because of his great intellectual ability and
his charming manner. He has done little work throughout his schooling, gaining no confidence in
his intellectual ability. He feels bad about this and often regrets his failure to be motivated or do
anything correctly. He believes this may be due to his failure to listen to his parents because he
feels that they have punished him randomly for no good reason. He is ashamed of his
performance at school, yet will not take steps to change his performance. He is reluctant to seek
counseling, as he doesn’t see what good it does. He plans to join the military because he will do
whatever he is told to do. He has no plans to use the military to develop career plans. Describe
Marvin’s development, using Marcia’s concepts. (ch. 8)
a. Use Holland’s theory to describe his type and that of his career choice. Use Holland’s
concepts to comment about his situation. (ch. 5)
b. How would you describe him using work adjustment theory? (ch. 4)
31. Tom is an electrical engineer who is unhappy with his job which includes design of computer
hardware circuitry. He no longer finds his work challenging or exciting, but rather dry and
repetitive. He has become increasingly interested in philosophical and religious concerns which he
has applied through his evening and weekend work with the homeless. His compassion for their
problems continues to grow. Increasingly, he has thoughts about returning to college to study
theology and become a minister. At 25 years of age, he has concerns about his family
32. Explain the importance of Super’s concept of recycling. (ch. 9)
33. Describe a hypothetical case of someone whose Holland types change at the ages of 15, 20, and 40.
Describe a Holland 3 letter code. Use Super’s concepts of adolescent career maturity to explain
issues at age 15. Use Super’s stages of adult maturity for ages 20 and 40. (ch. 5, 8, and 9)
34. Predict your future career development using Super’s stages and sub–stages of adult career
development. Explain in what ways the model would fit your life and ways in which it wouldn’t.
(ch. 9)
38. Describe how you could apply Hopson and Adams‘s model to a situation in which someone has lost
his or her job after ten years of employment. (ch. 10)
39. What measures can be taken to prevent sexual harassment on the job? (ch. 10)
41. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of using trait and factor theory in contrast to Savickas’s
social constructionist theory in career counseling. (ch. 2 and 11)
42. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of using trait and factor theory in contrast to narrative
theory in career counseling. (ch. 2 and 11)
43. Explain how Savickas’s social constructionist career counseling approach makes use of Holland’s
and Super’s theories. (ch. 11)
47. Critique Phillips’s developmental relational model focusing on Actions of Others and Self–
Directedness. (ch. 12)
48. Using three concepts from Phillips’s model of Actions of Others, give three examples of how others
can (negatively or positively) affect the career decision-making of an adolescent. (ch. 12)
49. How can Phillips’s developmental relational model assist a career counselor in working with a
client? Give an example. (ch. 12)
53. Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of Holland’s theory, Super’s theory, and
cognitive information processing theory for career counseling with the population of your choice.
Explain which approach you prefer. (5. 7. 8, 9)
56. Contrast work adjustment theory and Hopson and Adam’s model of adult transitions as they apply
to people who have work adjustment problems, such as not liking their work. (ch. 4 and 10)
57. Describe how trait and factor theory is similar to Krumboltz’s social learning theory, cognitive
information processing theory, and human capital theory.
(ch. 2, 3, 13, and 15)
61. Describe how you would help a client who had just been asked to help out on a company newsletter.
The client is interested in journalism and public relations. Apply happenstance learning theory.
(ch. 13)
62. Give an example of observational and instrumental learning from Krumboltz’s social learning
model. Use an example that is related to career development. (ch. 13)
63. Vera has had great difficulty with math in high school, in part due to a fear of doing poorly on tests.
She is considering becoming a chemical engineer because she did well on her chemistry course.
Now a senior in high school Vera is worried about what she will be able to do when she graduates.
Use social cognitive career theory to explain Vera’s dilemma. (ch. 14)
Explain. (any chapters)
68. Which career development theories seem most appropriate for use with women? Explain. (any)
71. Pam is a freshman in college and is undecided about her career choice. Having just completed her
first semester of school, she seeks career counseling. Pam enjoyed her first semester. She
particularly enjoyed fraternity parties. Academically, she likes her marketing course best. In high
school, she did not enjoy many of her courses except for art. However, she enjoyed student
government and was involved in the local Republican party. She helped to raise funds for local
candidates and tried to persuade adults to vote for candidates. She also designed posters for other
candidates for student government.
Pam is a person who very much likes to be with other people. She enjoys being a part of a group
and is concerned with her outer world rather than her thoughts. In making decisions, she relies on
her vision and hearing, then makes decisions based on feelings.
a. Using Step 1 of general trait and factor theory (Chapter 2), describe Pam’s traits that she should
consider in gaining self-understanding.
b. Using Holland’s Theory, identify Pam’s types and explain why she fits those types. Explain
how Holland’s terms of congruence, consistency, and differentiation fit Pam.
72. Pat is a senior in high school. His father is an unemployed house painter and his mother is a
waitress. Pat has done well in school with A’s in science and B’s in English, history and languages.
Pat is very interested in science and his project won first prize in the science fair in school. It was a
combination of overlaying color transparencies illustrating the anatomy of a cat. Pat is taking
honors courses in high school. His mother is pleased that he is doing so well; his father often
complains that Pat is not working enough hours in his part-time job at Burger King. Pat hates the
job; he is a cashier and bus boy. He would much rather spend his time with his friends, drawing or
doing school work.
Complete two of a, b, or c and two of d, e, f, or g.
a. Using general trait and factor theory, describe how Pat is developing an understanding of
himself. (Step 1)
b. Using Holland’s theory, describe Pat’s personality or Holland type. Discuss the concepts of
congruence, consistency, and differentiation as they related to Pat.
73. Jill, 16, is a junior in high school. She is not sure whether or not she wants to go on to college.
Neither of her parents has gone to college. Both work as managers of convenience stores. They do
not think college or post-high school training is necessary. However, they do want to see her
graduate from high school.
Jill is currently working after school and on Saturdays for Wendy’s. She likes the other students
that she works with as well as the manager. She hopes that when she gets older she might want to
manage a store. Supervising others and merchandising new products appeals to her.
a. Discuss Jill’s Holland type. Relate Holland’s concepts of differentiation, congruence, and
consistency to information about Jill.
74. Name two career development theories you might use in your current or future work. Describe the
work and how you might use the theories. Answer in such a way that you indicate that you are
familiar with the basic concepts of the theories. (any)