Synchronicity
The article “Coincidence, Happenstance, Serendipity,
Fate, or the Hand of God: Case Studies in Synchronicity” is unlike anything I
had ever read before. The article
discusses that linear direction, development, and rationality are main
components that drive career counseling; however, the idea of synchronicity
seems anything but progressive or rational (Guidon & Hanna, 2002). Instead, the idea of synchronicity seems
whimsical and unrealistic.
Dan’s case study
seems to be the most believable out of three examples given, but it still shows
components of being far- fetched and impractical. The idea that his friend had a printing press
at the exact same time that he was deciding to switch career goals and have his
own printing press company sounds wonderful but incredibly rare (Guidon & Hanna, 2002). I do not believe situations like Dan’s
scenario are the norm, and I certainly do not believe that one should hold out
for such an opportunity. A person would
likely be waiting and waiting for that opportunity to arise, and it would never
happen. I don’t feel this would be an
effective strategy, concept, or option to present to students or professionals
during a career counseling session. I
think it places too much emphasis on fate and not enough on concrete possibilities.
Looking at the other two case study examples, a lot of
emphasis was placed on dreams and their meaning in the person’s current life
situation. I think each person
interpreted their dreams to coincide with their career choice and the current
possibilities in their life. I do not
believe that the dream was designed to point them in that direction nor was it
a demonstration of fate. A person can provide
numerous interpretations of the same dream.
Who is to say that Billie’s dream regarding the black stallion with red
and black colors could not have related to a black widow spider or a new car she
was supposed to purchase (Guidon & Hanna, 2002)? To say that
she was meant to take that job because of the colors and the mascot sounds
illogical because certainly many other schools have similar colors or the same
mascot.
I believe having faith in things is important, and I do
believe in fate; however, I am not one to quickly believe that a dream correlates
with a career path in my life showing that I was meant to take that specific
job. When it comes to career counseling,
I believe we should not be asking people to rely on fate or happenstance. A person’s career is far too important to
leave up to chance, and I believe more concrete planning needs to take place
and interpretations of dreams should not guide a person’s decisions. The concept of synchronicity is too
philosophical for my taste, and therefore, I find it hard to support it without
a scientific, fundamental basis in research and data.
References
Guidon, M. H. &
Hanna, F. J. (2002). Coincidence, happenstance, serendipity, fate, or the hand
of God: Case studies in Synchronicity. The
Career Development Quarterly, 50(3), 195-208.
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