have the same objective: predicting the degree of fit or congruence
between people’s personalities and their occupations. In addition,
Osipow indicated that if certain bridging constructs between and
among these theories could be identified and defined, an integrated
theory of career choice and development would emerge.
Osipow’s ideas are intriguing and raise the question, Are the major
theories of career development converging? If they are converg-
ing, books such as this one should focus more on building constructs
that bridge theories than on presenting individual theories. The
papers resulting from a conference to address the issue raised by
Osipow (Savickas & Lent, 1994) provide at least partial answers to
the question about the convergence of theories. So do the philo-
sophical underpinning of the theory.
Theories Rooted in Logical Positivism
All theories, including those that focus on occupational choice
and career development, spring from two philosophical positions—
positions for which there is no rapprochement. Most theories of
career choice and development are rooted in logical positivism—a
philosophical position asserting that foundations in the form of log-
ical proofs and empirical bases can be built—has dominated the
philosophy of science for centuries. The assumptions of logical pos-
itivism are relatively straightforward and have been summarized as
follows (Collin & Young, 1986; Hoshmand, 1989; Passmore, 1967;
Wilber, 1989):
- People can be studied separately from their environments;
people can be subdivided into categories for study. - Human behavior can be objectively observed and measured;
behavior operates in a lawful, linear fashion; cause and effect
can be inferred. - The tradition of the scientific method is the accepted paradigm
for identifying facts about human behavior.
12 CAREER CHOICE AND DEVELOPMENT