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Psychodynamic Career Counseling

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The model underlying this approach to career counseling has been constructed primarily by Bordin (1968) and his associates, although others (for example, King and Bennington, 1972) have also applied the principles of psychoanalytic theory and therapy to counseling phenomena. It has been Bordin, however, who has had an enduring interest and involvement in conceptualizing career counseling, as well as career development (Bordin, Nachmann and Segal, 1963), within the psychon-analytic tradition. The term psychodynamic has been chosen to characterize his orientation, not only because it more accurately portrays the broader scope of Bordin's model than does the scholastic meaning of psychoanalytic, but also because it more precisely connotes the essence of his theoretical commitment, which is twofold: career choice involves the client's needs, and it is a developmental process. Bordin (1968) asserts that:

To "prevent crippling psychological conflicts" in the course of personality-vocational development, the psycho-dynamically oriented career counselor intervenes at the "transitional points in the life cycle," utilizing these concepts of diagnosis, process, and outcomes:

1.    Diagnosis. On the issue of whether to diagnose or not, Bordin (1968) is unequivocal: "we are convinced that counselors should not undertake counseling responsibility without at least a rudimentary knowledge of diagnosis and diagnostic techniques." But, his view of diagnosis is not the traditional, nosological one of trait-and-factor career counseling. In fact, Bordin (1946) was the first to seriously question such non-dynamic taxonomies of client problems and proposed instead more psychologically based constructs, such as choice anxiety, dependence and self-conflict. Just recently, he (Bordin and Kopplin, 1973) has reiterated the value of dynamic diagnosis in asserting: "we must reject a false dichotomy between classification and dynamic understanding. It is true that classifications have been used in static ways; neither as tools in an ongoing process of understanding nor as guides in an interaction process." Analyzing the sources of motivational conflict experienced by college students seeking career counseling, Bordin and Kopplin (1973) have proposed a new diagnostic system consisting of several major categories with some further subdivisions into more specific problems. These categories are as follows:



A.    Synthetic difficulties-A limiting case of minimum pathology and conflict in which the major problem is to be found in the difficulty of synthesizing or achieving cognitive clarity. The client is able to work productively in counseling.

B.    Identity problems-These are assumed to be associated with the formation of a viable self and self-percept (not necessarily fully conscious).

C.    Gratification conflicts-This classification takes its inspiration from the point of view that examines occupations in terms of the opportunities each offers for finding particular forms of psychosocial gratification in the work activities.

D.    Change orientation-the client is dissatisfied with himself and struggles via vocational choice to change himself.

E.    Overt pathology-Even though the contact was initiated around vocational choice, it becomes evident that the disturbance makes it impossible for the student to do any kind of work on this question.

F.    Unclassifiable-Except that it is a problem-involving [sic] motivational conflict.

G.    Unclassifiable-Except that it is a problem involving no motivational conflict.

To assess the reliability of this system, two judges classified the career motivational conflicts of 82 former clients. On the first 47 cases, they reconciled disagreements through consultation, but still attained only 51 per cent exact agreement, with partial agreement in a remaining 28 per cent. From these results, Bordin and Kopplin (1973) concluded that:

In general, was must concede that, though tolerable, our level of agreement was not satisfying. However, we do not find it discouraging because we take into account the sparseness of the case notes in so many instances that forced us into the guessing situation that the reliability figures document. A further factor in unreliability is that the counselors were not oriented to the issues raised by our categories.

Even granting that the reliability of this new system might be increased to a satisfactory level, however, of what use is it to the career counselor? It is wholly post hoc: the diagnosis is made from reading the notes and summaries of cases which have already been closed out! Such a procedure may have some value for research purposes, but it does not provide the career counselor with the requisite data for diagnosis before a course of career counseling is formulated. As Bordin (1946) stipulated many years ago: "the most vital characteristic of a set of diagnostic classifications is that they form the basis for the choice of treatment".

2.    Process. Bordin (1968) breaks the process of career counseling down into three stages, which are a microcosm for the overall process of career development. In the first stage, exploration and contract setting, the critical task of the psychodynamic career counselor is to avoid a superficial rationalistic examination of the client's choice problem as well as a seductive attempt to engage him/her in non-vocationally oriented therapy. Rather, as the name of this approach implies, the focus should be upon the psychodynamics of career decision making, the interface between the personal and the vocational in the client's life. The counselor strives to articulate the relationship between these two-to extrapolate the implications, for example, of a fearful, defensive identification of a failing engineering student, who wants to change majors, with an over-demanding and stern father. The second stage is that of critical decision, not necessarily of career but between the alternatives of counseling limited to choice or broadened to encompass personality change. In other words, the psychodynamic counselor offers the client the option of becoming engaged in counseling focused upon facets of personal development other than just the vocational. The last stage in the process of psychodynamic career counseling is working for change. It is presumed that the client will opt for at least some change in personality, even if it is circumscribed to vocational identity-hence the thrust of this final stage toward increased awareness and understanding of self.

3.    Outcomes. Although not explicitly stated, the expected outcomes of psychodynamic career counseling are apparent from an analysis of the stages in the process. One objective is to assist the client in career decision making. The problems which clients may present run the gamut of those enumerated previously in the discussion of "diagnosis," for example, synthetic difficulties, gratification conflicts, etc. A broader goal is to effect some positive change in the client's personality, which can be accomplished in two principal ways. Even though the client may choose more narrowly defined career counseling, it may well have salubrious effects upon personal development. Thus, a juxtaposition of a pervasive indecisiveness in decision making with submission to an authoritarian father may motivate a dependent client to assume greater personal responsibility without the counselor directly dealing with the latter. If the client is willing to undertake personal counseling relatively distinct from a career emphasis, then the avowed outcome is some kind of personality change, albeit only symptomatic anxiety reduction. Both career decision and personality change, achieved through whatever modes, are the desired end states of the client following successful psychodynamic career counseling.
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