Week 3 Post

I found last week’s group activity to be extremely beneficial in terms of being able to apply Person-Environment theories to a real-life case. It is one thing to read about the theories but actually being able to process and apply them instills a greater sense of understanding. I thought the case study of David was complex and required a great deal of interpretation based on the data provided from various measures. It was interesting to see how each group was able to pull out significant, yet different, information, findings, and recommendations for David. Holland suggested that individuals seek out and are most comfortable in work environments that are similar to their personality (Brown, 2012). This group exercise helped to solidify the importance of finding a career that matches well with an individual’s personality type.

In regard to this week’s readings, I found the article “Spirituality, Religion, and Career Development” to be rather enlightening (Duffy, 2006). Prior to reading this article, I predicted that those individuals who are highly spiritual and religious are more optimistic about their current situation and future than those who are not; however, I was not really sure how these values translated into career decisions.  Previous studies have found that spirituality and religiousness serve as positive predictors of career self-efficacy and job satisfaction (Duffy, 2006). Is that to say that those individuals who are not spiritual or religious are unsatisfied and worthless? This is obviously not the case as plenty of people are able to experience job satisfaction and feel like they are valued without viewing their career as a calling by a higher power. After reviewing the various holistic theoretical models presented within the article, I found Bloch’s Model of Spirituality and Career Counseling to be the most complex and beneficial for future clients. Similar to that of other holistic models, this theory emphasizes the interconnection between spirituality, religiousness, and career development; however, Bloch encourages clients to find harmony not only between their skills and interests, but also with their values and sense of self (Duffy, 2006). She emphasizes the importance of incorporating values and purpose into future career decisions. After reading this article, I’ve learned the impact of spirituality and religiousness on job satisfaction and the importance of incorporating these values into the decision-making process.

References

Brown, D. (2012). Career information, career counseling, and career development (10th ed.). New York: Pearson Education, Inc.

Duffy, R. D. (2006). Spirituality, religion, and career development: Current status and future directions. The Career Development Quarterly, 55, 52-63.