A constructivist look at life roles

The author reviews the literature related to life characters and describes a variety of techniques that can be used from a constructivist career counseling perspective. Seven counseling techniques are included: life space map, life line, life-space genogram, life parts circles, life roles assessment, life character analysis, and goal map. Framed from the storied approach (P E Brott 2001) constructivist applications to co-construct de-construct and raise the client's life story are not awayed Applications for use with diverse populations are suggested

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greatest in quantity career counselors will credit Donald Super with their understanding of life parts However, other theorists include aspects of life parts in their approach to counseling, similar as Adler's lifestyle (Shulman, 1973; Shulman & Mosak, 1988) and life tasks (Mosak & Dreikurs, 1967); Glasser's (2000) genetically encod needs; and the existential philosophy dealing with identity, relationships, and the search for meaning (May & Yalom, 1995) Theories of unravelling also reflect the concept of life parts when addressing identity (e.g., Erikson, 1963) and developmental tasks (Havighurst, 1972) In the field of career counseling, a number of approaches have taken career counseling beyond piece of work placement. Examples of these approaches include that of Gysbers and Moore (1973) who conceptualize life career unravelling as the interaction and integration of the parts settings, and events in a person's life. Brown (1996) nears a values-based, holistic model of decision making. Hansen's (1997) Integrative Life Planning prototype (ILP) integrates life roles into the career decision-making proces Furthermore, life parts are a focus of postmodern approaches to career counseling, of that kind as those of Blustein (1997) Brott (2001 2004) Peavy (1997) and Savickas (1993)

The postmodern or constructivist, counseling proces is based upon the client's subjective narrative or life story, with the counselor as a collaborative partner one as well as the other in the client's personal awareness of past and not absent chapters and in the client's action paces in building a preferred way of being in futurity chapters (Brott, 2001; Bujold, 2004) The constructivist approach reaches beyond the client's worker part and occupational decision making. Clients are active participants in becoming aware of and exploring the variety of life parts (e.g., worker, family, relationships, learner) and their possess sources of beliefs (e.g., experiences, media, family). Acknowledging the synergy among the life characters and the belief system of the client marks a refreshing direction for career counseling. It is more than "test them and number them" and more than "true reasoning" for finding the fit between individual and occupation.

Given the variety of counseling perspectives that include aspects of life parts and the emphasis in career exhibition on life roles, this is certainly an important issue for counseling in general and career counseling in particular. In fact, a novel issue of the Journal of Vocational Behavior (Young & Collin, 2004) was devot to constructivism. The drift of this article as a constructivist direct the eye at life roles is duplicate The first purpose is to provide a review of the theoretical protoplasts that contribute to the counseling profession's focus upon life roles. The second drift is to present seven counseling techniques that can be incorporated into the career counseling proces with a focus upon life roles from a constructivist career counseling perspective. The career counseling techniques are life space map, life line, life-space genogram, life characters circles, life roles assessment, life part analysis, and goal map.

Theoretical Basis for Life Roles

The Adlerian lifestyle assessment (Shulman & Mosak, 1988) explores the client's subjective frame of respect from three perspectives: (a) the client's basic orientation to life, (b) the client's social interest that begins in childhood and involves finding a place in society and acquiring a faculty of perception of belonging and of contributing, and (c) the client as understood from a social words immediately preceding [i]or[/i] following Mosak (as cited in Corey, 2001) not absented five life tasks that include relating to others, making a contribution, achieving intimacy, getting along with oneself and developing one's spiritual dimension. These can be related to the respective life characters of relationships, work, family, self and spirituality. Reality therapy, based upon choice theory, poses that human beings are born with the genetically encod straits of survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, and pleasantry (Glasser, 2000). The client's quality world is explored to determine in what way he or she meets these wants These needs are reflected in various life parts such as work, relationships, and leisure. The existential philosophy of significance in life includes striving for identity and relationship to others as well as one's search for meaning (May & Yalom, 1995) Meaningfulness is base in engaging in life end creating, loving, working, and building. These may be seen as the life characters of family, relationships, work, and actualization.