(that is, dealing with objects) and symbolic (that is, dealing with
signs and symbols).
The Role of Emotion
Kidd (1998) makes a strong case for the increased recognition of
emotion in career theory, research, and practice. Her argument is
that emotion, rather than being intrapsychic, is highly interpersonal
and contextual. The separation of emotion and cognition in both
psychology and vocational counseling may be another reason for the
insufficient attention paid to emotion. For example, in a number of
vocational counseling texts, emotion is not indexed (for example,
Luzzo, 2000; Zunker, 1998). The recent social approaches to emo-
tion, as well as a number of neuropsychological studies, speak against
the distinction between cognition and emotion, which appears to be
more logical than psychological (for example, Forgas & Bower, 1987;
Mayer, McCormack, & Strong, 1995). The characterization of emo-
tion as passive—something that happens to us and limits our ability
to act (Averill & More, 1993)—may be another reason for its deval-
uation in agency-oriented career counseling.
In the contextualist action theory of career, emotion assumes a
more central place. Emotion and cognition are internal processes that
regulate and guide action; both are connected to the interpersonal
and contextual. Emotion is critical in this explanation because it con-
cerns action. Brown (1996a), basing his work on that of Rokeach
(1973), also sees emotion as one of three components of values that,
in turn, determine goals and action. But as Kidd (1998) points out,
emotion is present, not only in single actions but in career as well. If
one considers career as becoming more responsive to changing con-
texts, emotion has a significant place in it. Clients in counseling have
feelings not only about specific events in their lives but about longer
and more complex segments such as projects and careers.
Recent neuropsychological research indicates substantial links
among emotion, stress, and memory-related prospective and retro-
spective constructions of events (for example, Cahill, Babinsky,
Markowitch, & McHaugh, 1995; Isen, 2000; McFarland & Buehler,
A CONTEXTUALIST EXPLANATION OF CAREER 221