Why work?

Skills to understand career beliefs in

multicultural settings

Career Education Association of Victoria

Biennial Conference Workshop presented by:

Gideon Arulmani

Harnessing diversity

Social cognitive environments• Work occurs within a social context: a context characterised by

patterns of beliefs and ways of thinking.

• Mind-sets engendered by social frames of reference give a particular colouring and interpretation to the meaning and purpose of work.

• Prevailing ideologies and community experiences cohere into a social-cognitive environment.

• Values – positive, neutral or negative – could be attributed to work in general and to specific occupational clusters.

Harnessing diversity

Career Beliefs• A conglomerate of attitudes, opinions, convictions

that seem to cohere together to create mind-sets that underlie people’s orientation to the idea of a career.

• Can be so deeply ingrained that they may not be identified by their holders as beliefs, but held as unquestioned, self-evident truths.

• Whether accurate or not, career beliefs exert a facilitative or inhibitive influence on individuals’ orientations to career goals (Krumboltz 1979; 1994).

Career Beliefs Types of career beliefs

• Examination of ‘types of career beliefs’ have pointed us toward common elements that could bind diverse groups together.

• Our analysis has consistently thrown up three kinds of career beliefs that seem to interlock with career development:

- Proficiency Beliefs

- Control and Self-direction Beliefs

- Persistence Beliefs

Proficiency beliefsBeliefs about the importance of acquiring qualifications

and skills that enhance personal proficiency for an occupation.

Indian situation:

- Wide variability in the manner in which social-

cognitive environments actually nurture this belief

- Close link to socio-economic status

Proficiency beliefs:Differences between groups

Type of group Possible impact on career development

Socio-economically vulnerable groups: Low emphasis on acquiring work skills proficiencies

Could be at risk to enter the world of

work as unskilled labourer

Middle class groups:

Extraordinarily high emphasis on acquiring qualifications

Willing to commit time and resource for acquiring proficiency; BUT could show a confusion between preparing for the world of work and acquiring qualifications

Control and Self-Direction Beliefs:Beliefs about personal control over life situations and

the orientation to directing one’s life

Type of group Possible impact on career development

Socio-economically vulnerable groups: Weak orientation to exercising self-direction over life trajectory; helplessness in the face of barriers

Could view the future in terms of the deprivations experienced in their present situation; unable to grasp real opportunities, and take control of their lives

Middle class groups:

Stronger orientation to exercising self direction and creating opportunities; high motivation to engage with career development tasks

Are likely to value and seek counselling and guidance services for career planning

Persistence Beliefs: Beliefs that support persistence toward career goals

despite difficulties and barriers that emerge during career preparation

Type of group Possible impact on career development

Socio-economically vulnerable groups: Persistence toward career goals is lower and less consistent; sacrifice long term goals to meet immediate needs in the here and now

Career planning may not be perceived as relevant in a context where survival is still the foremost expectation from employment

Middle class groups:

Persistence toward career goals is higher and more consistent; planfulness and skills for goal setting are high

Could be more willing to making long term career plans and face difficulties and barriers to the achievement of career objectives; have the necessary support to persevere toward career goals

Discussion Point (Group 1)Proficiency beliefs

Beliefs about the importance of acquiring qualifications and skills that enhance personal proficiency for an occupation

Proficiency beliefs Possible impact on career development

Discussion Point (Group 2)Control and Self-Direction Beliefs

Beliefs about personal control over life situations and the orientation to directing one’s life

Control and Self-Direction beliefs Possible impact on career development

Discussion Point (Group 3) Persistence Beliefs

Beliefs that support persistence toward career goals despite difficulties and barriers that emerge during career preparation

Type of group: Socio-economically vulnerable groups

Persistence beliefs Possible impact on career development

The multicultural context• Career beliefs are not artefacts that only embellish the

exotic east

• The notion of social-cognitive environments and

career beliefs need not be restricted to

geographical locations and cultural contexts

• Beliefs pertaining to career choice are present in

all families and communities – eastern or western.

• The young person’s orientation to work could be

influenced by these social cognitions.

The multicultural context

• Higher likelihood of counsellor and counselee coming from differing social-cognitive environments

• Individualism – collectivism: Career decision-making could reflect strong community orientations with a preference for co-operative decision-making

• A ‘respectable’ career: The attitudes of prestige, social status can be carried over from ‘home’

• Transmission of attitudes: Career beliefs could be passed on from one generation to another

Discussion Point (Group 1)Higher likelihood of counsellor and counselee coming from differing social-

cognitive environments

List the counsellor’s career beliefs that could be at variance from those of the

counselee

Discussion Point (Group 2)Individualism – collectivism: Career decision-making could reflect strong

community orientations with a preference for co-operative decision-making

List the career beliefs that could emerge from an individualistic social-cognitive environment

List the career beliefs that could emerge from a collectivistic social-cognitive environment

Discussion Point (Group 3)A ‘respectable’ career: The attitudes of prestige, social status can be carried over

from ‘home’

List career beliefs that could be ‘carried over from home’

Working with career beliefs:The vignette technique

• Vignettes are verbal descriptions that simulate or re-create real events and situations

• Verbal pictures, designed to identify attitudes and elicit opinions

• Useful particularly in situations where the re-creation of real life events is difficult and cumbersome

• Effective way to learn about the thoughts, perceptions and unexpressed feeling

• Vignettes place abstract ideas within a familiar context and thereby help the person understand or identify with the idea more easily

Developing vignettes for career beliefs

• Listen to commonly used statements

• Look for patterns in these statements

• Look for ‘threads’ - commonalities

• You could use the career belief pattern frame we have just discussed

• Embed the content of these statements into vignettes.

Career Beliefs in the Maldives

“It is the government's

responsibility.”

Young Maldivians were saying NO rather than YES to personal

engagement with work and career development

“My father will do it for me.”

“It’s too hard for me.”

“I would rather be

unemployed.”“This job is

beneath my dignity.”

“This job is against my religion.”

“I cannot leave my island.”

Discussion Point (Group 1)

Develop a vignette that would tap into Proficiency Beliefs

Discussion Point (Group 2)

Develop a vignette that would tap into Control and Self-Direction Beliefs

Discussion Point (Group 3)

Develop a vignette that would tap into Persistence Beliefs

Thank You!