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Career Calling Dylan Firsick, M.A.

Counseling Psychology University of Northern Colorado

Career Calling �  What is your ‘Dream’ for the future?

�  Does it involve that perfect job or occupation?

�  Why?

�  Would you consider it a calling?

Career Calling �  “An approach to work that facilitates a sense of

meaning and purpose for individuals and also serves society or a higher power.” (Duffy, 2006)

�  “A transcendent summons, experienced as originating beyond the self, to approach a particular life role in a manner oriented toward demonstrating or deriving a sense of purpose or meaningfulness and that holds other-oriented values and goals as primary sources of motivation” Dik & Duffy (2009)

Career Calling �  Spirituality

�  Historically, Calling itself has been viewed from a religious context �  ie Calling from God

�  Bloch and Richmond (2007) describe calling as one of seven themes that reflect a spiritual approach to career decision making. (Sharf, 2013, pg. 401) �  Change, Balance, Energy, Community, Calling, Harmony

& Unity

�  In the text “Spirituality” is defined as a wholeness of living and understanding one’s self �  Career Calling attempts to incorporate an individual’s

personal beliefs, their unique skill set and their goals and ambitions when identifying prospective occupations

From Sharf (2006) Applying Career Development Theory to Counseling

7 themes are identified which individuals can use to better understand their lives and their career decisions

1. Change – Can be internal or external, is inevitable, learn to cope with change

2. Balance – balance work, play, relationships through setting priorities

3. Energy – draws energy through work, play, relationships, time along

4. Community – work is a means of interacting with one’s community

5. Calling – One’s ideal work: recognize one’s interest, abilities, and values and apply them to productive work

6. Harmony – Finding a good fit between yourself and your work environment

7. Unity – Feeling connected with self, others, community, and culture

Bloch & Richmond’s Seven Themes Reflecting a Spiritual Approach to Career Decision-Making

Based on the Book “Soul Work” 1998 Career Calling �  Dik and Duffy deemphasize the spiritual aspect and focus on

an extrinsic motivation to a particular line of work. �  unique skill set the individual possess making them a perfect

fit, for a specific occupation. (ie empathy in counseling) �  a perceived meaningfulness to satisfying outside motivations

such as family legacy, societal need or internal satisfaction.

�  Three Important Features �  “(1) motivation for the work comes from an external or

transcendent source (e.g., higher power, social needs)” �  “(2) Coherence between one's overall sense of meaning and

purpose in life with meaning and purpose in the work role” �  “(3) a focus on how one's work may contribute to society in a

positive way.” (Dik and Duffy, 2009)

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Current Research �  Individuals endorsing a career calling were

associated with higher income, seeking/obtaining higher levels of education, higher status occupations and taking less sick days (Wrzesniewski, Mccauley, Rozin, & Schwartz, 1997)

�  Individuals who identify their occupation as a calling have also been associated with higher life satisfaction, fulfillment, happiness, and life meaning (Steger, Pickering, Shin, & Dik, 2010)

Current Research �  Students with a career calling tend to be more

decided and comfortable w / career choice, view future as important, more aware of vocational interests (Duffy & Sedlacek, 2007, Steger et al., 2010).

�  Calling was found to predict Academic Satisfaction in College students. This relationship was Mediated by Career Decision Self Efficacy and Work Hope (optimism about work) (Duffy, Allan & Dik, 2011)

Current Research �  Duffy, Allan and Dik (2011) assessed three

potential mediator between Career Calling and Academic Satisfaction. �  Career-decision self-efficacy (CDSE), Work Hope, and

Meaning in Life.

�  In the sample of 312 undergraduate college students career calling significantly predicted CDSE and Work Hope, which subsequently predicted academic satisfaction. Career calling also had a significant direct effect on career calling, indicating that Work Hope and CDSE were operating as partial mediators.

Current Research

Theoretical Position �  May best fit within the Theory of Work Relationship

(TWR) Model or the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) Model.

�  Theory of Work Relationship emphasizes Satisfaction and Satisfactoriness �  Satisfaction: Being satisfied with one’s work. Environment

meets person’s needs/requirements �  Satisfactoriness: The employer’s satisfaction. Concerns the

extent to which individuals adequately meet employer’s requirements

�  Personal Adjustment Styles �  Flexibility, Activeness, Reactiveness and Perseverance

TWA Model

12

E Reinforcers to P Values

Correspondence

P Style to E Style

Correspondence

P Abilities to E Requirements Correspondence

P Satisfaction

P Satisfactoriness

Other Factors

(Interests & Personality

Traits)

Remain/Quit

Retain/Fire

P Tenure

So Where does Career Calling come In?

Here!

Here!

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Theoretical Position �  Social Cognitive Career Theory

�  Emphasizes that three areas most shape career choice: �  Self-Efficacy: belief about one’s abilities in a

particular domain

�  Outcome Expectations: Imagined Consequences of performing a behavior

�  Goals: Intention to engage in a behavior to effect a future outcome

SCCT Model Research has shown that Career Calling influences these domains…

Outcomes/ Attainments

Integrating Religious and Spiritual (R/S) Beliefs

Religion and Spiritual beliefs should be conceptualized as an extension of client preferences

�  APA ethical standard 2.01:

�  “Where scientific or professional knowledge in the discipline of psychology establishes that an understanding of factors associated with age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, or socioeconomic status is essential for effective implementation of their services or research, psychologists have or obtain the training, experience, consultation, or supervision necessary to ensure the competence of their services, or they make appropriate referrals, except as provided in Standard 2.02, Providing Services in Emergencies”

Thus R/S beliefs should be treated the same as cultural issues, ethnicity and sexual orientation

Empirical Support Worthington, Hook, Davis & McDaniel, 2011

�  Meta-analyzed 51 samples from 46 studies

�  Compared R/S therapies to No Treatment Controls, Alternate Psychotherapies, and Dismantling Designs

�  “Psychological” and “Spiritual” outcomes

�  R/S Therapies outperformed No Treatment Control and Alternative Therapies for both outcomes

�  No difference was found for psychological outcomes across Dismantling Designs

�  Participants in R/S therapies still outperformed on spiritual outcomes.

�  Study suggested that for clients with R/S beliefs, R/S accommodative therapies may be more effective than secular therapies.

References �  Brown, S.D., & Ryan Krane, N.E. (2000). Four (or five) sessions and a cloud of dust: Old assumptions and new

observations about career counseling. In S.D. Brown & R.W. Lent (Eds.), Handbook of Counseling Psychology (3rd ed., pp. 740-766). New York: Wiley.

�  Cardador, M.T. & Caza, B.B. (2012) Relational and identity perspectives on healthy versus unhealthy pursuit of callings. Journal of Career Assessment. 20. 338-353

�  Domene, J.F. (2012) Calling and career outcome expectations: The mediation role of self-efficacy. Journal of Career Assessment. 20: 281-292.

�  Duffy, R. D. (2006). Spirituality, religion, and career development: Current status and future directions. The Career Development Quarterly, 55, 52-63

�  Duffy, R.D., Allan, B.A., & Dik, B.J. (2011). The presence of a calling and academic satisfaction: examining potential mediators. Journal of Vocational Behavior. 79. 74-80.

�  Duffy, R. D., & Sedlacek, W. E. (2010). The salience of a career calling among college students: Exploring group differences and links to religiousness, life meaning, and life satisfaction. The Career Development Quarterly, 59, 27-40

�  Duffy, R. D., & Sedlacek, W. E. (2007). The presence of and search for a calling: Connections to career development. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 70, 590-601.

�  Steger, M. F., Pickering, N., Shin, J. Y., & Dik, B. J. (2010). Calling in work: Secular or sacred? Journal of Career Assessment, 18, 82-96.

�  Wrzesniewski, A., McCauley, C., Rozin, P., & Schwartz, B. (1997). Jobs, careers, and callings: People’s rela- tions to their work. Journal of Research in Personality, 31, 21–33.