description of the perfect career decision maker because it applies
only to clients who have an independent social value. Moreover, the
idea of the independent decision maker undoubtedly works best for
young decision makers, when both the decision maker and her or his
family both value individualism. Therefore, I do not assume that the
client will be an independent decision maker. Dependent decision-
making styles characterize the approaches used by people in many
cultures, and a career counselor must anticipate that some clients will
look to parents, godparents, and others to have a major role in the
choice of a career. In this discussion, the term decision makerdoes not
necessarily refer to what we have traditionally seen as “the client.”
Assumption 2
As would be expected from Assumption 1, I do not assume that the
identified client is the only person who should be included in the
decision-making process. Parents or members of the extended fam-
ily should be included in the process of career counseling if the
identified client is a dependent decision maker and if that depen-
dency results from a collective social value.
Assumption 3
The choice of an occupation is part of a broader decision; the
choice of a lifestyle and the process should be embedded in this
context of lifestyle design.
Assumption 4
For independent decision makers, my first concern is to promote
crystallization and then the prioritization of values, as they are often
uncrystallized and unprioritized. My role with dependent decision
makers is to make both the identified client and the decision maker
aware of the implications of a career choice, both in terms of the
values of both parties and the ramifications of the choice for life-
style. Although the Life Values Inventory is highly useful when
identifying some of the work and cultural values of a client, it does
492 CAREER CHOICE AND DEVELOPMENT