The Social Learning Theory - Case Study Example

Career Counseling al Affiliation Career Counseling Case Study1: Katie The first approach that can be used to tackle the case revolves around the social learning theory. According to Dawis (2001), the social learning theory says that people learn things by observing what the other people are doing. It explains that people learn their new behaviors, abilities as well as values through observing how other people are and how the people he or she associate with behave or act. It therefore requires attention to the person that is being observed and remembering the observed behavior or ability. This is then followed by replication of these behaviors after one is motivated to act the same way. Brown & Lent (2005), however, indicates that not all the social learning is acted. It is also worth noting the behaviors such as aggression and criminal acts are among the ones acquired mostly through social learning. Social learning occurs in threes ways. The first way is through vicarious reinforcement where the person learns the behavior of others by observing the consequences. It can also take place through observational modeling. Finally reciprocal determinism can also lead to taking up of the behavior of others. This is the best approach to take when handling the problem that Katie is having is due to the fact that she became interested in arts because most of the family members are musicians. Katie may have been influenced to take up the act and path that was followed by most of the members of the family by observing them perform their acts. It is because of this that Katie is said to have began playing piano at a tender age. It is therefore evident that Katie may be into music because most of the members of the family are into music and she learnt this habit or behavior by observing the other members of the family. The motivation to be like the other members of the family drove her to start having interest in playing piano and it was because of this that she has became good at playing piano at a tender age. In Katie’s case, the most applicable test that can be used to tackle the problems that she is having and find the appropriate solution to her problem is the RIASEC test. It is based on the assumption career and vocational choices are normally based on personality types. This theory, which was developed by John Holland, suggests that each and every person fits in a specific care due to the personality. The theory considers six types of personalities. The realistic are those that are considered to be doers while the investigative peoples are classified as the thinkers. On the other hand the artistic and the social people are taken to be creators and helpers respectively. The conventional peoples are organizers. Personalities are known to flourish in the career environments that they fit in. It implies that the choice of career or vocation is normally an expression of one’s personality (Brown & Lent, 2005). It is however worth noting that the test is purely based on the belief that there are six different types of people and these peoples have six different personalities. This test can therefore be used in Katie’s case. It will involve determining her personality with respect to the above six named personalities. After this is done, she can then be advised on the career that she can succeed and fit in. If some aspects of Katie’s life change, then it will also be imperative to change the way the counseling approach will be considered and done. The reason why this is important is due to the fact that such changes may have influence on her personality and even behavior. This will in turn influence the career that she may have interest in and the one that she may succeed in. At the moment Katie has been living with her parents who are immigrants from Germany. Her life seems to have been purely shaped by the interaction that she has been having with the family members. The career choices that she seems to be having in mind have been influenced by the environment that she is living in. This therefore implies that if she were living may be in a different setting then she may have had a different career in mind. When she indicates that she believes she had other career options in mind and that by going to California, she may be able to determine it, it is clearly seen that music may not be the career she wants. Therefore, if she goes to California and be away from the influence of the family, she may be able to learn her personality well, grasp the career that may suit her interest and personality without being influenced by the fact that most of the family members are doing music and art. Case Study 2: Ken To begin working with Ken, the best theoretical perspective that can be used is the theory of work adjustment. The theory of work adjustment tries to describe how people relate the environment where they work. (Dawis, Lofquist & Weiss, 1968). This perspective was developed as a framework that is to be used for vocational psychology. Work is normally conceptualized as an interaction between the individuals and the work environment. In order to succeed in a given duty one is required to have some skills to perform these tasks. The reason why this perspective is vital and key in handling the case that concerns Ken is because it will help in understanding the relationship between the work environments that he performs in and his interests and abilities. The work adjustment theory suggests that individuals normally require compensation for work performance and certain conditions. In this case study, the compensation that is required is the ability to interact with the children since Ken has interest in dealing with them and it brings him a lot of satisfaction. For one to be satisfied with his or her work, he or she must first of all be satisfied by the work environment. Satisfaction with the work environment results in good performance and productivity. Ken is said to have interest in children. This, therefore, means that the kind of work environment that he will be satisfied with to be able to be perform well is an environment that has children. Therefore, he may be required to shift from his current work environment and move to one that deal with children. The activity or intervention that is most appropriate in dealing with Ken’s issue of work is the Minnesota Importance Questionnaires. The MIQ is used as a measure for attaining ideal occupation on the basis of the needs of the individual in question (Dawis & Brown, 1978). The reason why this activity is the most appropriate in this case is because it will help in determining Ken’s satisfaction in a given work environment. When this is done, he will be able to choose and work in an environment where he will be happy and productive. This is because there is a direct relationship between work environment satisfaction and job satisfaction (Rounds, Dawis & Lofquist, 1979). When this is done, Ken will be able to move from the environment that he is currently working in to a new environment where he will be satisfied. This will not only make him productive but allow him to be creative and innovative and in the long run boost his performance at work. References Brown, S. D. & Lent, R. W.  (2005). Career Development and Counseling:  Putting Theory and Research to Work.  Hoboken, N.J:  John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Dawis, R. V.  (2001). Toward a psychology of values.  The Counseling Psychologist, 29, 462- 464. Dawis, R., Lofquist, L. & Weiss, D. (1968). A theory of work adjustment: a revision. Minnesota Studies in Vocational Rehabilitation, 23, 15. Dawis, R. & Brown, S. (1978). The Minnesota Theory of Work Adjustment. Hoboken, NJ, US: John Wiley & Sons Inc. Rounds, J. B., Dawis R. V. & Lofquist L. H.  (1979). Life history correlated of vocational needs for a female adult sample.  The journal of Counseling Psychology, 26(6), 87-496. Read More