The value of failing in career development: a chaos theory perspective

Abstract

Failing is a neglected topic in career development theory and counselling practice. Most theories see failing as simply the opposite of success and something to be avoided. It is contended that the Chaos Theory of Careers with its emphasis on complexity, uncertainty and consequent human imitations, provides a conceptually coherent account of failure in career development. The benefits of failing are outlined. The counselling implications of failure and ways for it to be addressed and utilised with those confronting career development challenges are also discussed.Résumé. La valeur de l'échec dans le développement vocationnel : une perspective de la théorie du chaos. L'échec est un sujet négligé dans les théories du développement vocationnel ainsi que dans la pratique du conseil. La plupart des théories voient l'échec simplement comme l'opposé du succès et comme quelque chose à éviter. Il est soutenu que la « théorie du chaos des carrières » , avec son insistance sur la complexité, l'incertitude et, par conséquent, les limites humaines, fournit un cadre conceptuel cohérent de l'échec dans le domaine du développement vocationnel. Les bénéfices de l'échec sont décrits. Les implications de l'échec pour le conseil ainsi que les moyens de l'aborder et de l'utiliser avec une population confrontée à des défis liés à son développement vocationnel seront également discutés.Zusammenfassung. Der Wert des Scheiterns in der beruflichen Entwicklung: Eine Chaos-Theorie-Perspektive. Scheitern ist ein vernachlässigtes Thema in der Theorie der beruflichen Entwicklung und Beratungspraxis. Die meisten Theorien sehen Scheitern einfach als das Gegenteil von Erfolg und als etwas, das es zu vermeiden gilt. Es wird behauptet, dass die Chaos-Theorie der Laufbahnentwicklung

Hope-narratives as a chaos theory of career intervention for failure

“…It is within the psychological dynamics of this existential misery that I see the potential for a further contribution of CTC to career counselling. Thus, it is my contention that Pryor and Bright (2012) do not go far enough to explicate the complexity of failure in terms of the CTC.…”

“…Despite the putative benefits of failure described by Pryor and Bright (2012), most individuals choose to avoid failing and, instead, choose to succeed in their endeavours. As such, failure is something to be prevented, its damage minimised, and the experience of it used for growth.…”

Career Assessment

“…Pryor and Bright (2012) suggest that it is important to include a counterbalance to a strictly positive focus. Pryor and Bright (2012) suggest that it is important to include a counterbalance to a strictly positive focus.…”

Helping highly anxious clients embrace chaos and career uncertainty using cognitive behavioural techniques

“…McKay et al (2005), for example, has documented the use of card-sorting tasks, questionnaires and interviews in uncovering clients' values. Finally, CTC helps reduce clients' fears of failing by exploring the reasons behind their fears, such as through 'failure questioning' in which they imagine how their lives would be should they really fail (Pryor & Bright, 2012). This approach increases clients' comfort with uncertainties by helping them reframe mistakes and failures as a necessary part of reality and an opportunity for learning.…”