Jobs in different fields of work tend to cluster in different parts
of this shared cognitive map. This clustering can be seen more
clearly in Figure 4.2, where a large sample of common occupations
is classified by Holland type, as well as by sextype and prestige level.
This map of occupations constitutes, most generally, a map of the
larger social world—of the “places” or ecological niches in society
that different occupations offer.
Children have a ready facility to construct common social
maps, illustrating “a remarkable skill for perceiving, remembering,
accumulating, and organizing concrete social information” (Cairns
90 CAREER CHOICE AND DEVELOPMENT
Note:Each field is designated by a cross centered at the mean for Prestige and
Sextype and showing one standard deviation on either side of the mean; letters
denote Holland fields.
Figure 4.2 is from Gottfredson, 1981; Copyright © 1981 by the American Psy-
chological Association. Reprinted with permission.
FIGURE4.2. Prestige and Sextype Ratings of Occupations in the
Different Holland Fields of Work
[Image not available in this electronic edition.]