that she cannot differentiate her own goals as distinct from the fam-
ily project. Indeed, her goals for counseling, which seem so focused,
may reflect some need to satisfy parental pressure for closure around
educational and career goals. These are hypotheses that could be
tested in counseling.
Finally, there is evidence of an identity project based on her self-
referent statements, including having an image for herself. Watch-
ing real-life TV shows and admiring others (musicians, the Pope, her
father’s law partner) may represent a lack of personal realization.
E may be experiencing a block in taking who she is from the level of
images to the level of implementing them. She may have difficulty
recognizing the projects in which she is participating. There may
also be a gap between these images and the actions and projects that
are required to realize whatever aspects of them can be used in her
own life. This identity project is understandably gendered, reflected
particularly in E’s identification of women as models. The place of
gender for her and in her particular contexts (culture) can profitably
be explored in counseling.
Action theory recognizes that significant others usually have an
important role in how the person constructs career. In is unclear in
the case of E who, other than her family, has contributed to this con-
struction and how they have contributed to it. E mentions friends
only briefly, and significant others are not referred to.
What we have suggested at the level of project seems also to
apply to career. At the present time, E appears to limit her under-
standing of career to an occupational career. The actions and projects
in her life do not contribute to her occupational career to the extent
that she would like or expects. She also expresses confusion about the
relation of her occupational images to their implementation.
There is no evidence that a clinical diagnosis of psychopathology
is warranted in this case, but all of the issues are relevant to E’s over-
all positive mental health. We suggest that having short-, middle-,
and long-term goals that connect individuals to their context, as well
as having the means to implement them, are important characteris-
tics of psychological health.
A CONTEXTUALIST EXPLANATION OF CAREER 239