An Overview of Career Development Theory

摘要

Career development theory and research have traditionally dealt with young adult males. The summaries of theories relating to career development and career choice found in Crites (1969), Jepson and Dilley (1974), and Osipow (1973) contain little that is directly pertinent to the career development of mature adults. Increasingly, however, organizations such as the U.S. Army (Downey, 1974; Medland, 1971), the Catholic Church (Hall & Schneider, 1973), and industry (Brewer, Hanson, Van Horn, & Mosely, 1975) are showing concern for the career development of their adult personnel. This concern rests on the assumption that the needs of the organization are best served by optimizing the career development of its personnel. In the Army, for example, several studies (see Yates and Macpherson, in press) have revealed the need for improved career counseling and a greater understanding by officers of the career progression system. Thus, an understanding of career development theory might be helpful to those persons who are concerned with these needs. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to present a summary of career development theory for individuals involved in studying, planning, or implementing officer career progression.