ABSTRACT

Although career construction theory is relevant to today's vocational climate, empirical research into it is scarce. Accordingly, we explored this theory by investigating the concepts, structures and processes that UK-based millennial career changers use to construct narratives allowing for continuity of plot and discontinuity of career direction. Interpretative phenomenological analysis on semi-structured interviews (N = 6) identified four themes: dissatisfaction, realisation, sacrifice and return. The Hero’s Journey was identified as an overarching structure for meaning making in career change. Participants assimilated instability and discontinuity into a broader framework of continuity, through narrating a quest for closer alignment between their work and personality. This study provides useful insights into career construction theory and suggests further utility of The Hero’s Journey in career counselling/guidance.

摘要

尽管职业建构理论与当今的职业氛围相关，但对它的实证研究却很少。因此，我们通过调查英国千禧一代的职业转变者用来构建叙事的概念、结构和过程来探索这一理论，以允许情节的连续性和职业方向的不连续性。半结构化访谈的解释现象学分析（N = 6) 确定了四个主题：不满、实现、牺牲和回报。英雄之旅被确定为在职业变革中创造意义的总体结构。参与者通过叙述他们的工作和个性之间更紧密的一致性，将不稳定和不连续性吸收到一个更广泛的连续性框架中。本研究为职业建构理论提供了有用的见解，并建议英雄之旅在职业咨询/指导中的进一步效用。