are the possible courses of action I could take to reduce or elimi-
nate the gap?”
4.Valuing. In valuing (V), each viable course of action is eval-
uated and prioritized according to one’s value system (Super, 1980)
to estimate its likelihood of removing the gap and its probable costs
and benefits for oneself, significant others, cultural group, and soci-
ety. In the valuing phase, the use of personal constructs (Kelley,
1955) relevant to the individual becomes vitally important in
determining a first choice (Parr & Neimeyer, 1994). The outcome
of this phase is not only the designation of a tentative first choice
(Gelatt, 1989) but a vision of the future and an internally directed
commitment to act on the choice (Cochran, 1994). The valuing
question for clients is, “Which alternative is the best course of
action for me, and in some cases, my significant others, my cultural
group, community, or society?”
5.Execution. In the execution (E) phase, a plan or a strategy for
implementing the first choice is formulated through a means-ends
analysis (Kaufman, 1972; Anderson, 1994). The plan is developed
with intermediate steps, milestones, and subgoals to reach a career
goal such as to complete a degree, obtain a first job, or pass a profi-
ciency test. Sometimes reality testing (Super, 1957) is called for to
try out and experience the first choice directly. We know a decision
has been made when a client acts on the plan. The execution ques-
tion is, “How can I transform my first choice into an action plan
and set the plan into motion?”
Upon executing the plan, there is a return to the communica-
tion (C) phase to evaluate whether the decision successfully re-
moved the gap. If so, the individual moves on to solve succeeding
problems that arise from the implementation of the solution. If not,
one recycles through the CASVE cycle with new information
about the problem, oneself, and one’s options, acquired from the
initial pass through the CASVE cycle. This last phase entails re-
flecting on and reviewing the problem-solving process itself to
enhance transfer to the solving of subsequent career problems or
even generalization to other real-life problems.
326 CAREER CHOICE AND DEVELOPMENT