The Berufsbildertest: Vocational pictures

Achtnich, Martin; Filho, Jos Ferreira . The Career Development Quarterly ; Alexandria  Vol. 42, Iss. 3,  (Mar
1994): 262.

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ABSTRACT (ABSTRACT)
A description of the Berufsbildertest (Vocational Pictures Technique) is offered. The test's usefulness in career
counseling is explained, and a description of two examples of its use in career assessment is presented.

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The Berufsbildertest or the Vocational Pictures Technique (VPT) was constructed based on the Fate Analysis
Theory of Leopold Szondi (1944), a Hungarian psychiatrist who lived, worked as a counselor, and lectured in Zurich
from 1944 to 1986. Szondi's theory stipulates that "choice creates fate." The basic idea is that the behaviors of
choice are evoked by eight different factors of human needs or inclinations. Martin Achtnich, a vocational
counselor and early Szondi student, translated fate theory into the VPT. The eight factors of human needs
conceived of as inclinations were adapted from the psychiatric realm into the vocational psychology realm.

The eight inclinations can be combined in different levels of intensity. In much the same way that an isolated
chemical element changes its characteristics when combined with other elements, so can the way that an
inclination appears be modified according to the links that are made with other tendencies. According to Szondi,
these eight needs comprise the psychic contents essential to human existence and every human being would like
to satisfy all of them. Different needs can be satisfied in different areas of life, one of the possible areas being the
world of work. The other areas are love and friendship, recreation and leisure activities, and even the "unconscious"
choices of sickness and death. The needs vary in intensity among individuals according to an individual's
constitution as well as the influence of upbringing and other social factors. It is also possible that in the course of
an individual's development one or another of these needs, which previously lay dormant, will come to the fore.

THE EIGHT NEEDS

The eight needs or inclinations proposed by Achtnich (1979) are the following:

W: SOFTNESS

The need to touch and be touched: the experience of tenderness and warmth, the desire to give and receive,
devotion and receptivity, human contact.

K: POWER

The need to feel and use one's own physical power: the pleasure one experiences in overcoming obstacles by
physical resistance, assertiveness and drive. The experience of physical activity creates a positive awareness of
one's body and increases self-confidence.

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S: SOCIAL CONSCIENCE

Social conscience has two possible modes of expression:

S sub H: The desire to help others: the need to do good, to empathize with fellow human beings and with plants
and animals, to show an interest in the positive development of all living things.

S sub E: Energy: both inner spiritual energy as well as an interest in the energy manifest in one's surroundings.
"Inner energy" expresses itself in acts of courage. It urges us to act and move, to seek independence. People with a
strong S sub E factor are fascinated by tensions, surprise, adventure and risk-taking. "Outer energy" manifests
itself as an attraction to all moving things and to dynamic processes, including natural happenings as well as
social, economic and political developments.

Z: SHOW

The need to exhibit and display or watch and observe. "Showing and exhibiting": people who are influenced by the
Z factor display themselves or their work as a means of attaining recognition and approval from others. Anything
which can be seen or heard, which calls for attention or inspires admiration may be used for this purpose. Often
these people need to express themselves yet they can also exhibit or present the works of others. "Watching and
observing": people enjoy watching any number of things such as the theater, exhibitions, demonstrations and
television. We like to look at beautiful things and possess a sense of beauty, even an aesthetic need.

V: REASON

Rational judgment. People have the need to understand the world, a need for mental clarity. They have both a
desire for knowledge and the desire to use their intellect to achieve it. We can trace the process of the intellectual
function as follows: seeking to perceive things as exactly as possible, defining things, assigning names, and
forming concepts, counting, measuring, testing, judging and evaluating things, arranging things according to
ordering principles, developing categories and classes, developing theoretical principles to explain relationships,
producing abstractions and drawing conclusions.

G: MIND OR SPIRIT

The need to be mentally active and creative. The spirit is drawn to that which is not real or not-yet-real. Here is the
basis of the creativity principle: the desire to produce something new, a fascination with the unknown, the
unconscious, with all that lies in the future or is still unexplained, the mysterious.

The mental and spiritual functions include: intuition, premonition, belief, creative fantasy, insight and ideas. The
spiritual person is searching for meaning, wisdom and deep, hidden truths. The spirit transcends the limits of
reality, searches into the depths, "hangs suspended," is weightless, timeless, eternal. The rational intellect (factor
V) narrows, sets limits and transforms plans (ideas) into reality. Reason (V) stagnates without spirit (G), yet
without reason, the spirit remains in the realms of the fantastic.

M: MATTER

The need to grasp and hold. People need to grasp and hold objects; that which is substantial, tangible and

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concrete; to experience the world outside themselves.

O: Orality

This need involves all processes which involve the mouth. There are two variations.

O sub N : The need to nourish or be nourished: includes an interest in all activities related to nurturing.

O sub R : The need to speak: verbal communication is a central form of making contact and forming relationships
among human beings.

THE VOCATIONAL PICTURES TECHNIQUE

Berufsbildertest, or Vocational Pictures Technique, consists of two series (female and male) of 96 photographs
that show workers in action. All the pictures are "double-factored." One of the factors is stronger (the primary
factor) and the other weaker (the secondary factor). Some photographs are labeled as "'", this means that a higher
level of education is required to enter the profession. People who choose these photographs reveal a higher level
of occupational aspiration.

A participant is asked to sort the pictures into three groups: attractive activities, unattractive activities, and an
indifferent or uncertain group. The participant who has to choose between these images identifies for a moment
with the worker represented and confronts the question, "Would I like, as this worker, to do this work with these
instruments and materials, in this professional atmosphere?" Through this identification, the structure of
inclination of the participant is required and through this affective interpolation the participant makes a choice.

The participant is then asked to arrange subgroups of the attractive pictures by combining those that have
something in common. These subgroups were organized in order of preference from the most important to the
least important. Then, participants are asked to describe the associations about each subgroup and about each
photograph. Finally, the participant is asked to choose the five most important photographs and to tell a short
story that links these photos.

The "inclinational" characteristic of a person becomes concrete through a formula of structure taken from the
factors presented in the pictures chosen as positive and the inclinational characteristic is clarified by the
associations about each of the photos in the test. When counted together, the results for an individual will indicate
the strength of each inclination, the first three inclinations being the most important. Each professional group also
has its own pattern of inclinations. No profession belongs only to one factor, which is why the pictures of the test
were constructed with two factors, indicating the substantial needs belonging to that activity. It is important to
point out that there are a great number of activities belonging to the same factor, therefore it is possible to make
groups of activities having something similar. These groups are called the unities of a factor. Each unity has, then,
five aspects as shown in the list which follows.

TWO CASE EXAMPLES

Ferreira Filho and Willems (1992) used the VPT to describe the personality and vocational inclinations of
professional dancers, and found that this professional group gives the following row of primary and secondary
factors. The primary factors are: Z'= Z, G, W, S. The secondary factors are: s, w, g, z. The activities related to each
factor can be described more clearly by describing their specific unities. For this group the unities are:

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Z:

Z1. showing, displaying (how attractive, how good one is or the product of one's work);

Z2. performing artistically, forming and creating

Z4. getting into the public eye, representing oneself

G:

G5. creative activity, being an originator

G6. becoming engulfed in ideas, being empathetic, interpreting music and other forms of art

W:

W1. softness, devotion, sensitivity, touching

W6. being devoted to someone or thing, having an emotional, lyrical, loving attitude towards the object of one's
attention

S sub E

SE3. dancing, movement, energy SE5. busy, varied activities, which often provide surprises

Two case examples taken from Ferreira Filho and Willems (1992) will be considered. The first example is from a
female dancer who is 30 years old. She is primarily a classical dancer, a very good one, but she is already aware
that she will have to retire as a dancer quite soon. The series of factors of the photos she chose was: Primary
positive factors: Z'5, Z5, M4, G3, O3, S'3, K3, V'3, G'2, W2, V2, SO; secondary positive factors: g8, W7, m6, k4, s4, z3,
v3, OO. She formed the following three groups with the positive photos:

Group 1. Pleasure, everything related to creativity through handwork

Group 2. Life, nature, animals, children. To be concerned by others.

Group 3. Thought, reflection.

The five preferred photos were the restorer, the veterinary, the farmer, the ballet dancer and the librarian, with
which she told the following story:

Sylvie was very attracted by nature. she was born in the country and from a very young age she had a close
relationship to animals. But the farm wasn't her vocation so she turns herself to the pleasure of taking care of
animals, continuing to do hand work as leisure. She leaves the country to study and then her parents sent her to a
dance school. This was the definite choice, she had found her vocation. Later. when the moment comes to reorient
herself professionally, she immerses herself into the books and continues to study like before she chose to be a
dancer.

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As can be seen in the dancer's story, all of her needs seem to be quite well integrated. Of course, the moment of
transition won't be an easy one, but she is preparing herself. The secondary factor m shows that she is looking
back to her own past and has to resume where she once started. A self-organized structure and continuity can be
seen.

The second case example is a 29-year-old male dancer. Recently, he had worked as a choreographer and a
contemporary dancer. His series of primary and positive factors was as follows. His primary series of primary and
positive factors was as follows. His primary positive factors were: S7, Z'5, M4, w3, G3, 5'3, K2, Z2, Z2, G'2, O1, V'1,
V0. His secondary positive factors were: s8, k5, W4, Z4, g4, m3, o0, v2 . The groups formed with the photos were:

Group 1. Nature, the ground, the well-being of nature.

Group 2. Performers, the arts.

Group 3. Tenderness, to give yourself.

Group 4. Virility, adventure.

Group 5. Theory, study.

Group 6. The media, manipulation.

The male participant chose the actor, the animal trainer, the boxer, the farmer and the lumberjack as his five
preferred photos and told the following story.

A young man who cleans in a farm has always dreamed of becoming an animal trainer but he is afraid of being
knocked down by the lion, by its force. He cries in pain as a tree would cry when it is knocked down.

This participants story tells a lot about him. He concentrates on relations of power. There is a great deal of
aggression in these associations and an extreme fear "of being knocked down," a mortal fear of dying. The story or
the associations show how his self-image is probably weakened, the exterior world seems too strong for him. The
animal trainer is the wish for power, for force that will enable him to battle against the environment. This
expression of himself reveals a situation of conflict. It seems that something is hurting him inside. With other
materials and verbal contextualization it would be possible to investigate this further. But part of this conflict can
be understood already if the fact that this dancer has a terminal disease is considered. Something strong, like a
lion, will devour him soon. The strength of his body, like that of a tree, will be cut down.

The factors of the five preferred photos are: Z, K, S sub E , M. Both Z and K are very important, as well as S sub E
(movement). It is clear that K is coming into the foreground because of a personal conflict. The other factors seem
to be well integrated into this participant's activity as choreographer.

CONCLUSION

The VPT is useful in career counseling because it allows for verbal expression, which can be therapeutic in itself.
DeKetele(1982) commented on this aspect:

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The greatest interest of the material is related to the associations. They can be read as a text that gives meaning
to the structure of inclinations; they allow the vocational choice to become concrete, reducing the possibility of
mistakes. In a more fundamental way, to emphasize this aspect of the material allows a more active participation
of the person in his [or her] process of clarification. This way of use of the VPT assures, cerned to promote by a
process of maturation of the person through the formulation of a personal project in a long-term perspective.

The VPT confronts the client with a process in which different choices can be made, choices that combine the
satisfaction of different needs.

REFERENCES

Achtnich, M. (1979). Der Berufsbildertest: Projektives verfahren zur abklaerung der berufsneigung. Bern,
Switzerland: Hans Huber.

De Ketele, R. (1982). Le Berufsbilder-test (BBT) de Martin Achtnich dans la consultation d'orientation: Instrument
de mesure ou support d'une demarche? Bulletin de psychologie scolaire et d'orientation, 4, 14-25.

Ferreira Filho, J., &Willems, L. (1992). Dance as a choice for life. A profile of personality characteristics of
professional dancers. Unpublished master's thesis, Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Belgium.

Szondi, L. (1944). Schicksalsanalyse-wahl in liebe, freundschaft, beruf, krankheit und tod. 1 Aufl. Basel: Benno
Schwabe.

APPENDIX

THE FIVE ASPECTS OF A "UNITY"

FIVE ASPECTS--ASSOCIATED QUESTIONS

The ACTIVITIES a person likes doing.--WHAT does one like doing?

The TOOLS that are being used.

The MEANS that are being used.

The PERSONAL QUALITIES that are required.--WITH WHAT is one working?

The OBJECT that a person wishes to work on.--ON WHAT is one working?

The RECIPIENT or the MATERIAL on which one works.

The PLACE where one wants to work.--WHERE does one work? (What kind of ATMOSPHERE does one enjoy?)

The GOAL one strives to achieve.--What is the PURPOSE?

Martin Achtnich is a vocational counselor in private practice in Switzerland and can be contacted at Im Eichbuehl
11, 8405 Winterthur, Switzerland. Jose Ferreira Filho is a vocational counselor in private practice in Brazil and can

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be contacted at Rua 9 de Julho, 2807, 14802-300 Araraquera-SP, Brazil.

DETAILS

Subject: Social research; Psychological tests; Counseling; Career advancement; Photographs;

Energy; Chemical elements

Business indexing term: Subject: Career advancement

Publication title: The Career Development Quarterly; Alexandria

Volume: 42

Issue: 3

Pages: 262

Number of pages: 0

Publication year: 1994

Publication date: Mar 1994

Publisher: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Place of publication: Alexandria

Country of publication: United Kingdom, Alexandria

Publication subject: Occupations And Careers, Education

ISSN: 08894019

e-ISSN: 21610045

Source type: Scholarly Journal

Language of publication: English

Document type: Journal Article

Accession number: 01939583

ProQuest document ID: 219539435

Document URL: https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/berufsbildertest-vocational-

pictures/docview/219539435/se-2?accountid=14484

Copyright: Copyright American Counseling Association Mar 1994

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 Last updated: 2022-02-04

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