Accompanying the adolescent on the career journey: A cognitive developmental approach

Summary In our present society, it is not enough to continue to provide adolescents with a stimulating career environment in the hope that appropriate career planning and development will result. Attention needs to be paid to the way in which adolescents structure their career environment and how they function in the face of the career stimulation that they receive. In this paper, the position is taken that the pressure on adolescents can result in some of them trying to adapt too readily and quickly to the information which they receive. By doing so, they fail to gain the perceived internal locus of control and self-reflection which are needed to deal with the complex and changing career issues. This problem can be understood and dealt with in counselling by focussing on the assimilative functions of the adolescent. Specific couselling strategies which may facilitate such a focus include the responsive counselling conditions and such techniques as the repertory grid and fantasy.He graduated from McGill University and has taught at The University of Western Ontario. One of his primary interests is in relating dimensions of human development to counselling practice.