Theory in career development counselling provides a map that counsellors can use to understand and structure the career counselling process. It also provides a means to communicate this understanding and structuring to their clients as part of the counselling intervention. The chaos theory of careers draws attention to the complexity, changeability and connectedness of components of career development. A framework for career counselling derived from the chaos theory of careers is outlined in terms of three factors: reviewing and reframing client expectations; exploring and engaging career development issues; encouraging and empowering career counselling outcomes for finding and constructing a career in a chaotic world. It is suggested that the chaos theory of careers offers a comprehensive theoretical conceptualisation that is able both to incorporate existing counselling practice and to suggest new counselling dimensions that could be incorporated into contemporary career practitioners' work.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AmundsonN. E. (2003). Active engagement: Enhancing the career counselling process (2nd ed.) Richmond, BC: Ergon.
2.
BlochD. P. (2005). Complexity, chaos and nonlinear dynamics: A new perspective on career development theory. Career Development Quarterly, 53, 194–207.
3.
BorgA.BrightJ. E. H.PryorR. G. L. (2006). The butterfly model of careers: Illustrating how planning and chance can be integrated in the careers of secondary school students. Australian Journal of Career Development, 15(3), 53–58.
4.
BrightJ. E. H.PryorR. G. L. (2005a). The chaos theory of careers: A users' guide. Career Development Quarterly, 53, 291–305.
5.
BrightJ. E. H.PryorR. G. L. (2005b). The complexity perception index (CPI): Users' Manual. Sydney, Australia: Bright and Associates/Congruence.
6.
BrightJ. E. H.PryorR. G. L. (2007). Chaotic careers assessment: How constructivist perspectives and psychometric techniques can be integrated into work and life decision making. Career Planning and Adult Development Journal, 23(2), 30–48.
7.
BrightJ. E. H.PryorR. G. L. (2008). Shiftwork: A chaos theory of careers agenda for change in career counselling. Australian Journal of Career Development, 17(3), 63–72.
8.
BrightJ. E. H.PryorR. G. L.HaphamL. (2005). The role of chance events in career decision making. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 66, 561–576.
9.
ButzM. R. (1997). Chaos and complexity: Implications for psychological theory and practice. Vermont, NW: Taylor & Francis.
10.
ChenC. P. (2005). Understanding career chance. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 5, 251–270.
11.
DaveyR. P.BrightJ. E. H.PryorR. G. L.LevinK.JensenL. (2005). Of what I could become but might not be: Using chaos counselling with university students. Australian Journal of Career Development, 14(2), 53–62.
12.
GellatH. B. (1991). Creative decision making: Using positive uncertainty. Los Altos, CA: Crisp Publications.
13.
HarveyC. S.HerrildB. E. (2005). Comfortable chaos. Bellingham, WA: International Self-Counsel Press.
14.
HollandJ. H. (1995). Hidden order: How adaptation builds complexity. New York: Basic Books.
15.
HollandJ. L. (1997). Making vocational choices: A theory of vocational personalities and work environments (3rd ed.) Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
16.
InksonK. (2007). Understanding careers: The metaphors of working lives. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
17.
KahnL. (2007). The chaos of careers: A contextual view of career development. Career Planning and Adult Development Journal, 23(2), 65–71.
18.
KellertS. (1993). In the wake of chaos: Unpredictable order in dynamical systems. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
19.
KrumboltzJ. D. (1998). Serendipity is not serendipitous. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 4, 390–392.
20.
McKayH.BrightJ. E. H.PryorR. G. L. (2005). Finding order and direction from chaos: A comparison of chaos career counseling and trait matching counseling. Journal of Employment Counseling, 42(3), 98–112.
21.
MitchellK. E.LevinA. S.KrumboltzJ. D. (1999). Planned happenstance: Constructing unexpected career opportunities. Journal of Counseling and Development, 77(2), 115–125.
22.
NealtR. A. (2002). Thriving in the new millennium: Career management in the changing world of work. Canadian Journal of Career Development, 1(1), 11–22.
23.
OrmerodP. (2005). Why most things fail: Evolution, extinction and economics. New York: Wiley.
24.
PeckM. S. (1978). The road less travelled. London: Arrow.
25.
PryorR. G. L.AmundsonN. E.BrightJ. E. H. (2008). Probabilities and possibilities: The strategic counseling implications of chaos theory. Career Development Quarterly, 56, 309–318.
26.
PryorR. G. L.BrightJ. E. H. (2004). I had seen order and chaos but had thought they were different. Challenges of the chaos theory for career development. Australian Journal of Career Development, 13(3), 18–22.
27.
PryorR. G. L.BrightJ. E. H. (2005a). Chaos in practice: Techniques for career counsellors. Australian Journal of Career Development, 14(1), 18–29.
28.
PryorR. G. L.BrightJ. E. H. (2005b). Luck readiness index (LRI): Manual. Sydney: Congruence/Jim Bright & Associates.
29.
PryorR. G. L.BrightJ. E. H. (2006). Counseling chaos: Techniques for counselors. Journal of Employment Counseling, 43(1), 2–17.
30.
PryorR. G. L.BrightJ. E. H. (2007a). The chaos theory of careers: Theory, practice and process. Career Planning and Adult Development Journal, 23(2), 46–56.
31.
PryorR. G. L.BrightJ. E. H. (2007b). Applying chaos theory to careers: Attraction and attractors. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 71, 375–400.
32.
RescherN. (1995). Luck: The brilliant randomness of everyday life. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press.
33.
SavickasM. L. (1997). Career adaptability: An integrative construct for life-span, life space theory. Career Development Quarterly, 45(3), 247–259.
34.
SharfR. S. (2005). Applying career development theory to counseling (4th ed.) Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.
35.
SmithG. T. (1999). Courage and calling: Embracing your God given potential. Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity Press.
36.
WarnathC. F. (1975). Career development theories: Directions to nowhere. Personnel and Guidance Journal, 53, 422–428.
37.
WeilerN. W.SchoonoverM. D. (2001). Your soul at work: Five steps to a more fulfilling career and life. Mahwah, NJ: Hidden Spring.
38.
ZanderR. S.ZanderB. (2000). The art of possibility. New York: Penguin.
