2022/2023/2024 Career Psychology: Solutions to Discussion Activities EZZV332
Solutions to Discussion Activities in Career Management Study Guide
1.
Discussion Activity:
It’s important to practise these discussion questions in order to prepare you for the exams.
▪ How do you think career psychology could be used to gatekeep the job/labour market?
- Discuss with SA historic or current context in mind and provide an example.
The history of Career Psychology in South Africa is characterised by a very biased application
and inappropriate use of the field’s findings with the intentions to exclude a group of people
and communities from accessing opportunities. The discipline could very well be misused as a
tool for gatekeeping, this is seen in the historical injustice of Apartheid where the discipline
was used to favour characteristics of a certain group while alienating those of another. This was
done using biased information that would prevent them from accessing proper education that
would allow them access to the labour market.
Access to quality education in the country has historically been represented by an unequal
disparity. In the field, there are career assessments that are present that heavily measure
academic achievement or a specific school milestone in schooling individuals, which may
negatively affect individuals or pupils from underprivileged or previously disadvantaged
backgrounds as a reason of limited access to quality education. This is caused as some
assessments were not created with the context and background of the country in mind, or they
have not been properly adapted into the context of the SA, still representing the Western
perspective of viewing the world. This continues the cycle of excluding talented individuals
who might have potential in succeeding in an industry but could never access quality education.
An example I can give is a career assessment tool used by a recruitment organisation in
searching for and accepting candidates, which has the requirement of knowledge of the English
language with higher educational qualifications as well as driving licenses. This tool will
disregard individuals who don’t match these requirements and doesn’t hold any space for
individuals from a different background, preventing them from accessing any opportunity they
may have been able to access within the recruitment process or the organisation (gatekeeping
opportunities from them). This requirement prevents anyone from an underprivileged school
that does not have English as a teaching tool and also access to higher education.
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, 2022/2023/2024 Career Psychology: Solutions to Discussion Activities EZZV332
2.
Discussion:
How do career psychology practitioners obtain a better understanding about the individual
in a career counselling?
There are various methods that Career psychology practitioners use during their counselling
sessions to gain a comprehensive understanding and assessment of an individual. Incorporating
these assessment methods into a career counselling session may allow a practitioner to gather
comprehensive information about clients' abilities, interests, personality traits, and values,
enabling them to provide tailored guidance and support in navigating the complexities of career
decision-making. Some of the commonly used approaches include:
• Interviews: Career counsellors conduct in-depth face-to-face interviews with their clients,
get to establish rapport with their clients over time and ask various questions to explore
their educational background, work history, career goals, values, motivations, strengths,
weaknesses, and any challenges they may be facing in their career development.
• Assessment Tools: Career counsellors often employ standardised assessment tools to
gather information about the individual's interests, personality traits, values, skills, and
strengths. These assessments could include intelligence tests, vocational tests, aptitude tests
personality inventories, interest inventories, and values assessments.
• Intelligence Tests: Intelligence tests assess cognitive abilities like reasoning, problem-
solving, and verbal comprehension. By administering intelligence tests, practitioners can
understand a client's intellectual capabilities, including where their strengths and
weaknesses lie, which can inform career choices that align with their cognitive capabilities.
Examples of intelligence tests include the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) or
the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, etc.
• Vocational Tests: Vocational tests, like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), focus
on identifying an individual's interests, preferences, and personality traits related to work
and career choices. These tests help practitioners understand what types of careers or
environments might be most satisfying and fulfilling for the client.
• Aptitude Tests: Aptitude tests measure specific abilities or talents that are relevant to
occupations or fields. For example, a spatial aptitude test might assess a person's ability to
visualize and manipulate objects in three dimensions, which could be important for careers
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