- In 1969, Crites separated evolution of career counseling (and development of theories) into three overlapping eras.
- First era, covered time from late 1800s to mid-1920s.
- During Industrial Revolution - first period where career development became prominent part of society and personal identity
- Lots of social unrest during this time, led to issues aligning career and personalities
- Progressive movement [aimed at eliminating corruption in government (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_Era)]
- Term "vocational guidance" coined during this time
- First efforts by the YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association)
- Lysander Richards (1881) - Vocophy: The New Profession
- "Used phrenology, physiognomy, and palmistry in their vocational guidance work"
- Allowed them to look at individual differences
- 1900's - people start moving away from pseudoscience and towards techniques that paved the way for current day vocational counseling
- Frank Parsons - "dominant visionary and architect of vocational guidance" (Herr, Cramer, & Niles, 2004)
- Opened Vocational Beareau
- Choosing a Vocation (1909)
- First gave career counseling its consideration as a science
- First to consider matching personality to skills (http://www.careers.govt.nz/practitioners/career-practice/career-theory-models/parsons-theory/)
- Parsons believe that three things were important when choosing a vocation
- Understanding of your own abilities and interests
- Knowledge of the requirements for success in whatever you choose
- Some connection between the two groups
- Technique later developed into the Trait and Factor Theory of Occupational Choice (http://www.careers.govt.nz/practitioners/career-practice/career-theory-models/parsons-theory/)
- Parsons got this knowledge by using evaluation through conversing with clients and testing aptitudes
- Mental tests - with help of Hugo Munsterberg
- Mental tests gained popularity following WWI - first popularity of intelligence testing
- Issue stems from matching theory assuming that we are in a stable market. There are many careers that may not be recommended with the current fluctuations in what jobs are actually excelling and which are leading no where (http://www.careers.govt.nz/practitioners/career-practice/career-theory-models/parsons-theory/)
