Blog 6

            When I first started to read this, I thought it was interesting that this article was very similar to the two previous articles that we had already read.  It is kind of like we are building up to one big thing and this article might be it.  The theory that Deborah P. Bloch (2005) talks about brings in the elements of synchronicity, connectedness, and spirituality that we have already read about.  However, she brings it into a different light.  She describes complex adaptive entities in 11 steps, which when I first read them I understood what each meant, but I did not know how they all fit together.  Bloch (2005) sums up the 11 steps in this one quote; “self-organizing structures that adapt for continuing being, with connections along networks that allow for open exchange of matter and energy and with the ability to use the border between order and chaos for the creation of new forms and for emergence to occur” (pg. 198).  This means that life is unpredictable to know what’s going to happen so there is a need to adapt to the unexpected life that is waiting for all of us.  This sounds weird, but it is true.  Some people, including myself think that they have a good handle on their lives and they know what they are doing.  However, life is unexpected and you never know what is going to happen.  Looking at this article, I do realize that life is unpredictable and we need to learn how to adapt to different situations and environments. 

            So how does all of this come back to career development?  Well, Bloch (2005) says, “career paths are characterized by unexplained trajectories and apparent, but not actual, disconnection” (pg. 198).  Meaning that jobs and what happens in them change.  We don’t know what will happen but we need to adapt to the chaos.  Bloch (2005) explains well how the 11 steps fit into career development.  She explained how each one works together to create something good for the client.  I thought that this theory was better thought out than the theory on synchronicity.  It gave more description and it was easier to understand in real life without saying that something is going to come along and help.  Another thing I would like to compare to the two theories is that linear and non linear factor.  The synchronicity article describe that is was a linear process even though we are all connected.  Bloch’s (2005) article describes that we are still all connected, but it is a non linear process.  It is not the fact that one will equal the other, everyone is different and so something that happens to one person is not going to happen to the other.  It is a big question mark that we have to show our clients how to adapt to it. 

Bloch, D. (2005). Complexity, chaos, and nonlinear dynamics: A new perspective on career development theory. The Career Development Quarterly, 53, 194-206. Retrieved from https://millersville.desire2learn.com/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=75061&tId=5560166