ERIC Identifier: ED404586
Publication Date: 1995-00-00
Author: Redekopp, Dave E. - And Others
Source: ERIC
Clearinghouse on Counseling and Student Services Greensboro NC., Canadian
Guidance and Counselling Foundation Ottawa (Ontario).
Creating Self-Portraits. ERIC Digest.
Creating Self-Portraits (Redekopp, Day, Magnusson, & Durnford, 1993) is
an individual and/or group career development tool designed to assess without
testing. While adopting a developmental approach (e.g., Gelatt, 1989; Magnusson,
1990; Super, 1985) to career assistance, it became apparent that testing was
often counter-productive. Rather than helping clients "know themselves," tests
frequently abdicated clients from their self-examination responsibilities. Tests
provided clients with labels (e.g., ENTJ, RIA, learning disabled, blue,
analytic); which once labeled, clients felt no need to further self-analyze.
This result was particularly troublesome because the labels were not
all-inclusive; they encapsulated only one component of the person's being (e.g.,
interests, aptitudes). Obtaining a classification of only one part of themselves
(such as interests), clients had a tendency to stop exploring other aspects
(such as values).
The self-discovery barrier was not the only difficulty with tests. A large
number of tests also prevented an open exploration of the world of work. Clients
were looking to tests to discover "what they should be," and they displayed a
strong tendency to believe--often blindly--the test results. To dissuade them of
these rigid beliefs, it was pointed out that tests can provide only a sample of
possible occupations and that further exploration was necessary. After some
time, questions arose as to the usefulness of using methods that had to be
disqualified.
The above problems would not have been so troublesome if clients and the
labor market stood still. New occupational roles were (and still are) emerging
almost daily and existing roles were (and still are) changing daily. Clients,
too, were changing. "Technophobes" learn to love computers as they acquired the
necessary skills; employees blossom into entrepreneurs; and academics become
avid marketers when exposed to the appropriate mentors. The labor market was
becoming a "work dynamic" (Redekopp, Fiske, Lemon, & Garber-Conrad, 1994) in
which clients were able to participate once they were provided with meaningful
developmental experiences. It was found that the tests that matched traits with
occupations were inadvertently arresting clients' development with regards to
seeing their own development and the changing nature of work.
Some of these problems were resolved in the same way other career development
practitioners have been doing for years: by taking a considerable amount of time
to explain to clients the theories behind the specific tests, the difficulties
of test construction, the specific meanings of test terminology, and the
limitations of test results.
A tool was needed that would help people understand themselves (a) in a way
that would encourage further self-exploration; (b) in a detailed and broad
manner (i.e., including many parts of the self, each part being examined
comprehensively); (c) in a way which accommodated change over time; (d) without
labels, classifications, or taxonomies; (e) using their own terminology rather
than borrows terminology; (f) in a way that did not link the individual's
self-exploration with an occupational role or set of occupational roles (i.e.,
divergence promoting rather than convergence promoting).
DESCRIPTION
Creating Self-Portraits is a simple method that
assists clients to examine themselves from four aspects:
1. Meaning (values, beliefs, interests, and barriers to meaning)
2. Outcomes (the components of a dream or future vision)
3. Activities (including preferred, past, and needed)
4. Tools/techniques (including skills, knowledge, personal characteristics,
and attitudes)
A semi-structured interview format is used to explore each area. It may be
conducted in an individual or group setting and usually lasts one to three
sessions. (For details, see Redekopp et al., 1993.) The responses are laid out
in four columns on a large (17" x 22") sheet of paper. A partially completed
Self-Portrait is shown below:
=================================================
Figure 1. Partial Self-Portrait
=================================================
MEANING
Values
--people
--knowledge
Beliefs
--change is constant
Interests
--innovating
--leading
Barriers
--finances
--energy
OUTCOMES
Personal
--travel
--kids
--old cars
Work-Related
--new career development
--tools/methods
--international career centre
Educational
--broad areas
ACTIVITIES
Preferred
--proposal writing
--public speaking
--researching
Past
--teaching
--managing projects
Needed
--2nd language
--international network
TOOLS/TECHNIQUES
--technical writing skills
--planning skills
--budgeting skills
--career development theory
--educational psychology
--work dynamic
--perseverance
--honesty
--stability
================================================
Meaning
The "values" portion of the "meaning" column is intended to capture items of
fundamental importance to the client. These are neither right nor wrong; they
are simply important. Values are the client's enduring motivators. The "beliefs"
component attempts to identify elements of the client's world view. These
include opinions about self (e.g., "I'm not very smart"), conduct (e.g., "A
stitch in time saves nine") and the world (e.g., "There are no jobs.") Beliefs
guide the client's approach to fulfilling values. Some may need to be changed if
the client is to move towards his or her outcomes. The "interests" section
captures events that the person enjoys. The interests need not be valuable
(e.g., one can value children without being interested in working with children)
or in conformity with belief systems they are just fun and enjoyable. "Barriers"
are conditions that prevent meaning from being fulfilled. These are often the
"yes, buts" of counseling sessions (e.g., "Yes, I'd love to find work, but there
are no jobs.").
Outcomes
The "outcomes" segment describes the person's dream or vision. The "dream" is
the individual's conception of a preferred future, a broad description of what
life would be like if everything went the person's way. The intention here is to
list features of the "best of all worlds" for the client, regardless of the
realism of these features. "Personal" outcomes comprise the hopes and
aspirations for non-work achievements (e.g., living on an acreage, being
healthy). The "work-related" outcomes section delineates the ideal
accomplishments that the person sees being met through work (recognizing that
the personal/work distinction is rather arbitrary). The "educational" outcomes
address the person's desired the learning achievements.
Activities
Within the "activities" column, "preferred activities" extend the dream by
portraying what the person wishes to do on a day-to-day basis. "Past activities"
include virtually everything the person has done in the past that he or she
wishes to record. This may range from "repair cars" to "break and enter" to
"negotiate bargaining agreements." "Needed activities" are those actions the
person should take to start moving towards the dream. In some cases, these will
include "strengthen the dream" for clients who have had little opportunity to do
so. In other cases, where the dream is well established, these activities may be
very focused (e.g., develop database programming skills).
Tools/Techniques
The "tools/techniques" column lists all the skills, knowledge, attitudes and
personal characteristics that the person has used in "past activities." For
example, to "break and enter," one needs planning skills, knowledge of security
systems, a preference for risk (attitude) and cool-headedness (personal
characteristic).
CONCLUSION
Rigorous evaluations of Creating Self-Portraits
have not yet been completed. However, clients report that they enjoy and feel
motivated by the process. They feel less pressure to make the right "big
decision", they understand themselves better and they become more
flexible/adaptable. The self-portrait is a living document that keeps pace with
the client's changing perceptions of self and, as such, it provides a blueprint
for exploration and/or other career-planning processes. More importantly,
clients who use self-portraits report making life and work choices that are
meaningful and that have enduring value. Creating Self-Portraits seems to enable
them to "follow their hearts" (i.e., dream) and "focus on their journeys" while
doing so. (See Redekopp, Day, & Robb, 1995).
REFERENCES
Gelatt, H. B. (1989). Positive uncertainty: A
new decision-making framework for counseling. Journal of Counseling Psychology,
36, 252-256.
Magnusson, K. (1990). An introduction to career counseling. Edmonton, AB:
Life-Role Development Group.
Redekopp, D. E., Day, B., Magnusson, K., & Durnford, C. (1993). Creating
self-portraits. Edmonton, AB: Centre for Career Development Innovation.
Redekopp, D. E., Day, B., & Robb, M. (1995). The "High Five" of career
development. ERIC/CASS Digest No.95-64.
Redekopp, D. E., Fiske, L., Lemon, F. & Garber-Conrad, B. (1994).
Everyday career development: Concepts and practices--A guidebook for secondary
school educators. Edmonton, AB: Alberta Education, Learning Resources
Distribution Centre.
Super, D. (1985). New dimensions in adult vocational and career counseling.
(ED 261 189.
