trait and factor theory

TRAIT AND FACTOR THEORY

Name

Institution

Parsons formed the theory of trait and character theory in the year 1908. Parsons is said to be the father of the movement of vocation and guidance movement. He developed an approach where a person chooses their career based on their talents and natural skills. Parsons postulated that a person should be matched to the career that best suited their talents and their dreams. Parsons suggested that people could have occupational choice when they have achieved the following:

When a person fully understands himself, they know their abilities, talents, limitations, strengths and weaknesses, interests and personality. This would enable a person to choose a career based on what they are good in (Armstrong, 2009).

The individual must have the knowledge of the job market. This is to help when they are choosing a career. It would be considered unwise to choose a course that is not on high demand or one that is already too flooded. It is important that the individual study the job market well to study a course that would almost guarantee them a job (Gaudron, 2007).

The third issue is that the person must make a conscious decision about what they desire and what is best for them. They must find a balance between what they are good at doing. They must make a rational decision that would be the best fit for theory talents and the job market (Proyer, 2007).

The theory assumes that individual talents can be measured, and certain attributes of a job can be matched with a personality in order to find the perfect match. There is existing documentation that when a person is in a job which best matches their capabilities, their talents and their interests, then they work perfectly with minimal supervision and performance is enhanced. The person already has the natural abilities that the job requires and, therefore, does not require much help (Long, 2006).

Rogers and Holland, who further act as guidance to this theory, have been very influential when it comes to guidance practice. Just like parsons, the duo assumes that the matching process can fund the perfect fit between the personality and the job market. There are some assumptions of the trait and factor theory which include:

Every person has their own set of character. The uniqueness of everyone cannot be disputed, and there can be no two people with the same characteristics. These traits can be measured and evaluated (Rottinghaus, 2005).

Each job requires a unique pattern of characteristics. These traits are very important and without them, the job cannot be carried out effectively. The successful completion of the job depends on the pattern of the traits. For instance, a person with the traits of an engineer cannot work as a doctor and vice versa (Sullivan, 2004).

The possibility of finding the perfect match between the character of a person and the career that they want to pursue is high. Statistics can be employed, since it is a rational method. For instance, statistics in the past can be used to judge what is to be done in the future (Elosua, 2007)

If the traits and the requirements of the job match with a large percentage, then, there is a high likelihood of the person doing the job much more effectively. The closer the match between a person’s traits and the trait required for a job, the higher the performance.

The traits of a person can be evaluated on how the person fits in the society that the person is in. traits of a person may be measured in regards to the culture of the people, the environment, the social class that they occupy, the work or school setting and the geographical location that they are situated in (Proyer, 2007).

Finally, tasks such as going to school, taking care of a family and retirement can take the place of occupational counseling.

There are seven steps in the trait theory. First, there is personal data where all the information on the individual is collected. Data collected may include their names, age, date of birth, background, and place of birth, parents, ethnicity, social background and financial status. This is done with the aim of knowing as much as possible about the individual. The aim of collecting personal data is to find out the stage that one is in life (Sullivan, 2004).

The step that follows is for the person to carry out a self-analysis which is guided by the counselor. Any decision or choice that may be made by the individual at this point may be considered if it is relevant to the career. Self-analysis may be done either verbally or as a written test. The third step will involve a person to make a choice of what they want without any interference from the counselor. The role of the counselor at this point is only to guide, and he must ensure that he does not influence the individual in any way. The fourth step is for the counselor to analyze what the individual has said and determine whether it is appropriate. As much as it is supposed to be the choice of the individual, the counselor must ensure that the client has the best match for his or her traits. The counselor may even test the client to evaluate whether they have made the correct choice. The test gives the individual to reassess or reaffirm his decision (Long, 2006).

The counselor ought to have extensive knowledge on the market otherwise; he would not be able to place the clients in careers that they may wish. Additionally, having a variety of choices does not limit the individual and increases the chances of the person to find the perfect match. The counselor should be able to have a list of industries, to have knowledge of where a person can get internships or volunteer works. The sixth step is the induction stage.at this stage, both the counselor and the individual should have a broad and open attitude to all the careers so that the individual is not restricted to one or two careers. The last step is where the counselor exhibits general helpfulness in helping with the career choice (Long, 2006). He helps the individual to reflect in the career choice that he has chosen. The counselor should give realistic reviews on all the careers as this is what will help the individual to choose a career without any stereotypes already put in his head. Since the individual is the one that makes all the decisions, then it means that they also have to do the research on their own before approaching a counselor (Elosua, 2007).

According to Holland, various things that form the personalities of the individual and how they affect the way that the person is going to turn out and their behaviour. These factors may include the culture of the people, the environment where the person lives in, the people that the person lives around, the social place that they occupy, the experiences that he has had and the way that he interacts with the people around him. There are six classifications of character traits, and they include being realistic, artistic, investigative, social, conventional and enterprising. All these traits are depicted by different factors in the personality of an individual (Sullivan, 2004).

For a person to be considered artistic, they have to show interest in abstract substances and may be very outgoing to an extent. An investigative person will always want to find out things about something and would want to understand why thing happen as they do. A realistic person takes thing as they are and have very low expectations of things around them (Rottinghaus, 2005). An enterprising person is one who looks for an opportunity where others see nothing and a conventional person is rather reserved and keeps to themselves most of the times. Various colors are attributed to different traits. There is gold which is associated with a guardian, blue with the realist, orange with the artist and green for the rational person or the conventional person.

Results of the trait factor theory

If a person uses this theory to satisfy their needs then they will probably end up with a job that they will appreciate and one where there potential will be maximized. In this way, they can achieve their life goals and their purpose. In this way, they can attain the highest form of existence that they can attain. The world, today, has a lot of competition that people have to use their strengths that other people do not have so that they can be above other. Everyone wants to climb and be at the top of their career ladder, and this can only be done if one is perfect in the job that they occupy. A person may be best suited to be an engineer yet they insist or are pressurized in becoming a doctor, then there is no way that they will ever succeed in their career path (Gaudron, 2007).

Criticism

This theory is the most employed approach when it comes to making choices of careers. Some people however argue that the talents that one has may only be suitable for the low prestige jobs and, therefore, placing him at a disadvantage than the rest of his peers (Proyer, 2007). They claim that there are professions that one may simply learn and do not have to be inborn. They claim that the theory is not useful in the job market. The labor market changes from time to time and therefore it is impossible to relate a specific type if trait to one job. People are nowadays expected to change according to their specific circumstances. There is also the issue that the theory does not place much importance in the education system, and people may only be concentrating in getting a career rather than a full education (Elosua, 2007).

This theory is especially relevant in the world today since people are motivated to do what they want, and even the artistic fields that were once frowned upon are now accepted. The fields that the people thought were inferior are now making a lot of money. The world has taken huge leaps in terms of technology, and this can be attributed to people following their instincts and their talents. Children are encouraged to partake of the activities that they love apart from those of school, so that they can do other things other than academic work. This way, they can build on their talents which will help them in pursuing their dream careers (Gaudron, 2007).

Case study

Al is 32 years old and is married and blessed with three children. He is a truck driver, and he lost his job since the customers he was supplying goods to, closed their business due to lack of capital and profits. He seems to get angry very fast and has low self- esteem. He seeks help from the local mental health center in the neighborhood. He went through high school and completed his high school education though he attended only one semester in college. He once fought with someone although he was provoked.

In this case, I would first treat Al for anger management and try to raise his self-esteem. In this way, he would be more open to jobs that would present themselves. It is a good idea that he has other options than just driving. He has experience in plumbing which increases his employability. This theory applies to him as well. It is clear that he missed some steps in the process of self-concept, and that is why he seems not to be satisfied. It is also clear that he came from a poor family and, therefore, did not have most of the privileges of going to a school that would encourage him to build on his talents. I believe that Al should receive counseling in both his personal and his career life if his personal problems are not dealt with, then he is likely not to flourish in his career (Sullivan, 2004). Therefore, for him to get back to society in the correct state, he has to be counseled on both issues. If I were a counselor, I would first help him deal with his personal issue and when he gets better move on to his career life. However, this method may not be acceptable to many people. Some may argue that he might possess responsibilities that have to be taken care of regardless of whether he is well or not. For me, one cannot work effectively if something is bothering him or her. One has to be in the best state of mind to work effectively (Leoung, 2005).

REFERENCES

Armstrong, P. I. and S. F. Anthoney (2009) “Personality facets and RIASEC interests: An integrated model.” Journal of Vocational Behavior, in press. 

Elosua, P. (2007). “Assessing vocational interests in the Basque Country using paired comparison design.” Journal of Vocational Behavior 71(1): 135-145.

Gaudron, J.-P. and S. Vautier (2007). “Analyzing individual differences in vocational, leisure, and family interests: A multitrait-multimethod approach.” Journal of Vocational Behavior 70(3): 561-573.

Leoung, S. A. (2005, July 11). The Big Five Career Theories. Retrieved June 12, 2014, from Real Tutoring: http://www.realtutoring.com/career/bigFiveTheory.pdf

Long, L. and T. J. G. Tracey (2006). “Structure of RIASEC scores in China: A structural meta-analysis.” Journal of Vocational Behavior 68(1): 39-51.

Proyer, R. T. and J. Häusler (2007). “Gender Differences in Vocational Interests and Their Stability Across Different Assessment Methods.” Swiss Journal of Psychology 66(4): 243-247.

Rottinghaus, P. J., C. K. Hees, et al. “Enhancing Job Satisfaction Perspectives: Combining Holland Themes and Basic Interests.” Journal of Vocational Behavior, in press. 

Sullivan, B. A. and J.-I. C. Hansen (2004). “Mapping Associations Between Interests and Personality: Toward a Conceptual Understanding of Individual Differences in Vocational Behavior.” Journal of Counseling Psychology 51: 287-298.