Research Paper on:
Career Planning and Genograms

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
and theories in their approach. The theory of constructs as well as the systems theory has been utilized by psychologists, social workers and counselors for many years as a  way of understanding the interaction between the individual and society. The genogram was developed as a visual aid to understanding these interactions. Now there are others, such as  the career counselor, who are instigating the use of the genogram to better understand how the individual interacts with the systems with which they are involved as well as providing  insight into job patterns and underlying beliefs. The use of the genogram (sometimes called a Career-o-gram) provides a myriad of perspectives as to the interaction of the individual  with family and other social entities as well as helping to realize how the individual might perceive their world and their role in that world. Making career decisions must  take into consideration the consequences to the individual and to their process of change. There are several theories based on the idea that the individual builds a self  concept based on the social evaluations he or she has received, especially those of perceived authority figures. Construct theory, developed by Gene Kelly is one. Another theory that  is likely to view behavior as an outcome of relationships and experience is systems theory. Career counseling in a world where diversity reaches beyond ethnic origin or gender must  include a personalized view of career development. The genogram (expanded by Thorngren and Feit to encompass what they call a Career-O-Gram) is an efficient and informative tool for the  career counselor wishing to consider the personal histories clients construct out of the relationship between the self and the social context (Thorngren and Feit, 2001). Systems Theory