In well-developed theories, constructs are not only carefully
defined but they are assigned levels of importance. Super (1990)
states in one of his propositions that work and life satisfactions are
dependent on the degree to which an “individual finds adequate
outlets for abilities, needs, values, interests, personality traits and
self-concepts” (p. 208). Unfortunately, it is impossible to discern
which of the constructs involved in this proposition is theoretically
most important to life and career satisfaction. Super used other
propositions to clarify this matter.
Theorists who wish to set forth well-developed theories have
many other criteria to consider. Well-constructed theories should be
parsimonious, that is, they should incorporate the smallest number of
constructs possible to explain the phenomena being addressed. And
well-developed theories are comprehensive. A comprehensive the-
ory of career choice and development explains the process for men
and women, minorities and majorities, and individuals throughout
the world. As will be shown, many of the current theories have been
criticized because they fail the test of comprehensiveness.
Another hallmark of a good theory is that it facilitates the
understanding of “what” happens and why it happens. Making a
career choice is an event—a “what.” Why that choice is made is
the more crucial question, particularly if we want to influence the
antecedents to occupational choice and thus the choice itself.
Some theorists, such as Holland (1997), have paid very little atten-
tion to why people develop certain personality types, choosing
instead to focus on explanations of why the choice occurs and the
outcomes of the choice. Others, such as Roe (1956), have paid lit-
tle attention to the decision-making process itself, electing to
emphasize the antecedents of the choice in their theories.
Well-developed theories also facilitate the understanding of
past, present, and future events. Why did most middle-class, white
women eschew paid work in favor of the work of a homemaker
before 1960? Gottfredson’s theory (1981) and the research that
resulted from it suggests that, early in their lives, children begin to
circumscribe their career options based on the information they get
from their environment. Moreover, because young women were
INTRODUCTION TO THEORIES OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND CHOICE 9