theless, he prefers structure from others, as suggested by his accepting
a friend’s recommendation that he attend college and by his work in
the organized environment of a library. Achievement through con-
formity is common among only children; frequently they are inde-
pendent yet still need reassurance. K holds vague conceptions about
how to make a career choice and convictions concerning preferred
roles and rewards. He reports an interest in technology and architec-
ture, maybe because they structure his creativity. His father’s Inves-
tigative-Realistic vocational personality type and his mother’s
Conventional-Realistic type suggest the possibility that K might
resemble an IRC type, which is consistent with the interview data.
The career theme interview reveals a vocational self-concept
that portrays someone who is on the move and likes to learn. His
line of movement seems to go from being scared to being excited.
His choice of role models indicates that he wants to develop from
procrastinating and moving hesitantly to being an initiator of activ-
ity. He wants to launch new projects and even lead, yet also wants
a partner available to provide reassurance and structure. His com-
petence at self-knowledge and occupational information appears
weak, and he now uses an intuitive decision-making style.
In counseling, I would invite K to stop skating across the top of
life. I would encourage him to take hold, to explore other ways to
move—ways that use his talents and gratify his needs. The first goal
would be to help him take initiative; I would, at first, provide struc-
ture and reassurance as he explored technology occupations, espe-
cially jobs wherein he could design movement, maybe of vehicles
or other machines that move. I would deal with the anxiety that
makes him procrastinate and reinforce any initiative he showed.
And I would be sure to help him envision his career theme as mov-
ing from a preoccupation with being scared by new challenges to an
occupation in which he is excited about taking initiative, learning,
testing his abilities, designing technology, and solving problems. I
would also make sure he understood the importance of recruiting a
mentor who will provide structure and encouragement. I would
prompt occupational exploration by discussing his interest in archi-
tecture and then reviewing occupations classified as IRE and RIE as
A DEVELOPMENTAL THEORY OF VOCATIONAL BEHAVIOR 195