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Holland’s Theory of Vocational Personalities – Case Study Analysis

Rosemary A. Kent-Jones

College of the Arts, Society & Education, James Cook University

ED5581: Theories and Assessment in Career Development

Dr Natalia Veles & Dr Sujin Kim

August 20, 2023

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Introduction

Career development is a complex process that involves interactions between aspects

of an individual’s personality and the environments they navigate. Holland’s theory of

vocational personalities and work environments emerges from earlier trait-and-factor

counselling. These factors can be described as a ‘matching model’ (Chartland, 1991) which

focuses on matching personal characteristics, interests, and values to environments and

alignment of these results in career satisfaction and fulfilment.

Personal Perspective

My initial perspective of career development was that it was something that

progressed linear, meeting certain milestones in your career as you advance through the

stages chronologically from establishing, to developing, to proficient, to highly accomplished.

This perspective was further reinforced through my university studies and analysis of the

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. I had a fairly traditional approach to the

concept of career development using logical positivism and constructivism and believed that

one could acquire optimum career satisfaction if my personal aptitudes, abilities and interests

aligned with their career choice.

Career development is a continually evolving process that encompasses all factors

that can influence a person’s life and subsequently their choices. Conditions of the labour

market, technological advancements, supply and demand, the economic and social state of

the country that you live in, cultural and societal norms, availability of resources (financial

and otherwise) and family dynamics are only a few factors that can influence one’s career

development. I believe it is the dynamic and constantly evolving interplay between such

factors that can influence one’s career development. It also involves personal and

professional management, decision-making, life and career goals, and experiences. In

having a sound understanding of these factors, as well as your own personality traits,
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interests, values, and work environments, I believe an individual can attain career

satisfaction if these factors are aligned.

As a former Science teacher, I am inclined towards theories with underlying

quantifiable characteristics, such as Holland’s theory of vocational personalities and work

environments. Using tried and tested career assessment tools which lead to specific

categories of personalities and environments, which have been empirically evaluated,

increases feelings of validity and reliability.

Career Development Theory Linked to Personal Perspective

One of the greatest contributions to the fields of counselling psychology and career

development is Holland’s (1997) theory of vocational personalities and work environments

(Nauta, 2010). The theory was first proposed in 1959 as a theory of vocational choice

(Holland, 1959) with its development being refined over subsequent decades (Sverko &

Babarovic, 2016) and remains highly influential to this day (Swanson & Fouad, 2020).

Holland proposed that an individual’s personality traits and preferences align with their

preference for various work environments and career paths.

The fundamental idea behind his theory is that most people closely resemble a

combination of six personality types: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and

Conventional (commonly referred to as the abbreviated acronym RIASEC) (Nauta, 2010) and

that these same types can be used in the classification of occupational environments. These

six types are arranged around a hexagon, and relationships among these types are

proportional to their proximity (Gupta, 2008). The degree of alignment between an

individual’s personality type and career choice (congruence) is a determining factor for their

satisfaction, fulfilment, and engagement with their career.

An individual’s inclination toward certain activities is influenced by their interactions and

experiences with “cultural and personal forces including peers, biological heredity, parents,
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social class, culture, and the physical environment” (Holland, 1992, p.2) and it is important to

acknowledge the following influences on an individual’s career preference:

 Cultural backgrounds and ethnicity: analyses conducted by Fuoad and Mohler (2004)

and Tang (2008), suggest that Holland’s theory can be applied when interpreting

vocational preferences for racial/ethnic groups.

 Gender diversity: how societal gender constructs can influence how individuals

perceive their own abilities and preferences. For example, males may be dissuaded

in pursuing careers in traditionally female-dominated industries such as teaching and

nursing which may be reflected in their responses to assessment tools based on

Holland’s theory such as the Strong Interest Inventory.

 Socioeconomic background and personal environment: individuals with these differing

backgrounds may be influenced in their career aspirations by their differing exposures

to opportunities and resources.

Holland’s work has significantly influenced the development of career assessment tools,

interest inventories and the classifications of occupations which have been used in career

counselling (Patton & McMahon, 2021).

Review of Andy Sachs’ Career Development

Andy Sachs is the title character in the movie “The Devil Wears Prada”. She is a young

female who has newly graduated from college with a degree in journalism who acquires a job

working as an assistant to the editor of the high-fashion magazine ‘Runway’. She aspires to

pursue a career in “serious” journalism and dreams of working as a writer for the prominent

newspaper – “The New Yorker”. She is initially unexcited about the prospect of working for a

high fashion magazine but convinces herself that it would be a good steppingstone for her to

be able to pursue her desired career path.

According to Holland’s RIASEC model, Andy could be categorised as investigative,

enterprising, and conventional. She fits into the ‘investigative’ category as journalists often
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must conduct research, analyse information, and analyse complex issues in order to

amalgamate these into a coherent story. Andy exhibits traits suited to the enterprising

category as she values investigative journalism and must be proactive in seeking our stories

and information as she wants to advocate for social change. And lastly, Andy fits well into the

artistic category as journalists who write human interest stories draw on their creativity and

use language in engaging and expressive ways.

Throughout the initial stages of the movie, we see Andy struggling between the conflicting

values of the superficiality at Runway and her own values and desired to pursue substance

in her work. It is during this that we see a clear misalignment of her vocational personality

and her work environment leading to dissatisfaction with herself and her new career. Here we

can apply Holland’s theory of vocational personalities where there is a low level of

congruence between her interests and values and her work environment causing

discontentment within Andy.

As the story progresses, we see Andy trying to adjust her personal traits to fit her work

environment, akin to the concepts in the Theory of Work Adjustment (Dawis & Lofquist,

1976), but this still poses internal conflict, highlighting the misalignment of her vocational

personality type and her work environment. In the end, Andy declines a prestigious position

in order to pursue a career that is more aligned to her interests and values.

Application of Holland’s Theory to the Career Development of Andy Sachs

Andy’s career development can be better understood by analysing her journey through

the lens of Holland’s theory of vocational personalities and work environments. At the

beginning of the movie, Andy is seen to have a very clear understanding of her personality

and the Holland categories she fits into.

Main concepts:

- Most individuals and most work environments can be classified into one of six distinct

categories: realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, conventional.

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- People search for work environments that will let them exercise their skills and

abilities, express their attitudes and values, and take on agreeable problems and

roles.

- Behaviour is determined by an interaction between personality and environment.

(Holland, 1997, p.4)

Classification of People and Work Environments into Categories.

This conceptualisation highlights the propensity for individuals to be more inclined

towards work environments that align with their characteristics. Consequently, the

congruence between vocational personality and work environment influences their vocational

choices and satisfaction and stability is derived from correct alignment. Andy’s instability

within her work environment at Runway, and her misalignment with it ultimately leads to Andy

not accepting the offer of a more prestigious role at Runway.

This classification also leads itself to consistency between category types.

Consistency highlights the commonalities between categories and can be illustrated by

viewing the types which are adjacent on the hexagon (see figure 1.). There is a higher level

of consistency in individuals whose first two letters of their RIASEC code adjoin on the

hexagon. In Andy’s case, there is a high level of consistency between the investigative and

artistic categories.

Figure 1: Interrelations of the dimensions of the hexagonal model of Holland (Yilmaz, 2017)
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The Search for Work Environments Conducive to the Person

The search for work environments that allow the individual to use their cognitive and

practical abilities, voice their personal attitudes and beliefs and engage in roles that resonate

with their natural inclinations are an important factor contributing to career satisfaction.

This concept is highlighted as Andy accepts her transition from her initial aspirations

of becoming a serious journalist to her role as Miranda’s assistant. Her initial desire to be a

journalist reflects her strengths in critically analysing and researching, showcasing her

cognitive capabilities. However, her new work environment requires a recalibration of her

skills to accommodate the new demands of being a personal assistant.

Even though Andy is able to adjust her personality to survive in the work environment,

she feels as though she is compromising her original attitudes and beliefs which leads to

dissatisfaction. Ultimately, this malalignment of her natural inclinations with her work

environment leads her to pursuing her original career aspirations.

Interplay Between Personality and Work Environment

There is an interactive dynamic between an individual’s personality traits and their

work environment, and this interplay influences the shaping of an individual’s behaviour.

As Andy continues working at Runway, her fast-paced and superficial work

environment has some influence on her personal development. She adapts and acquires the

skills and resilience needed to survive her new work conditions and develops some level of

satisfaction in using her transferable work capabilities in her new career. This adaptation is a

temporary coping mechanism Andy deploys in order to survive, even if it deviates from her

original career aspirations.

Incongruent interactions between person and work environment may stimulate

change in an individual’s behaviour (Spokane et al., 2002). This is evident in the shift in

Andy’s character from being a reserved and timid girl to a more confident and fashionable
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woman as the tries to adapt to her environment. However, this behaviour shift is temporary

as her new behaviours do not align with her underlying values and she resolves this

incongruence by pursuing a new and congruent environment.

Evaluation of Strengths and Drawbacks of Holland’s Theory

Holland’s theory provides a structured and predictive framework that identifies

individuals’ vocational personalities and guides them towards careers and work environments

that match their interests, values, and personalities. The systematic classification into six

distinct categories can provide a foundation for career practitioners to start exploring possible

careers that are suited to the individual based on their preferences. This may be particularly

helpful in a school context where there is often only one career practitioner servicing a high

population of high school students. Analyses of students’ RIASEC codes may provide a

steppingstone towards career exploration for adolescents who are beginning to navigate the

complex landscape of career decision-making. By identifying personality traits, and exploring

corresponding vocational pathways, students may gain insights into careers that resonate

with their strengths and preferences which may lead to career satisfaction in the future.

Holland’s theory is widely applicable and empirically grounded (Nauta, 2010).

Numerous meta-analyses evaluating the relationship between the theory and career

engagement, stability and satisfaction have been conducted in the field of vocational

psychology (Gupta, 2003). Such studies often use vocational interest assessments, inspired

by Holland’s theory, to measure personality types and assess how well these align to career

choice. The conducted research findings consistently show that a high level of congruence

between personality and environment led to higher levels of career satisfaction. By

systematically reviewing a theory, it allows researchers to collate findings and provide a

comprehensive assessment of a theory’s validity and reliability and allows for the refinement

and enhancement of the theory over time.

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Critical consideration must be given to the cross-cultural validity of Holland’s theory

when assessing its applicability and effectiveness beyond its original context. Holland’s

theory may not adequately address the influence of cultural impact on career decision-

making and vocational choice. In a study of cross-cultural validity of Holland’s theory in Hong

Kong (Farth et al., 1998), India (Leong et al., 1998), and Singapore (Leong, 2001), found that

there was a lower level of correspondence between the alignment of vocational personalities

and career satisfaction. This may be attributed to the lack of integration of cultural influences

in Holland’s theory. Culture encompasses societal norms, beliefs, values, traditional,

language and historical context, all of which contribute to the individual’s perspective on

personal identity and career. As Holland’s theory was mainly developed through the Western

lens, its universal applicability may be influenced by cultural variations in expectations,

societal structures, and values.

Societal gender norms may also play a significant role in influencing career choices.

Individuals may subconsciously pursue careers that fit within these societal expectations,

even if this means a misalignment between their vocational personalities and work

environments. The pressure or expectations of adhering to these expectations may lead

individuals to disregard their true interests when undertaking career assessment tests, like

the SII, consequently leading to a mismatch between personality and environment. Taking

these factors into consideration, it would be important to use Holland’s theory in conjunction

with other theories that include the influences of external factors such as McMahon &

Patton’s (1995) Systems Theory Framework.

To continue developing theory application skills, it is important to have a clear outline

of how to enhance theory application skills. This can be done by acquiring a comprehensive

foundational understanding of Holland’s theory by researching the development and

evolution of the theory over the course of its existence. It is also critical to review research

articles, peer reviewed journals and explore a variety of case studies to analyse how the

theory if applied to different real-world examples. Once this foundational understanding has
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developed, one can then practice the application of the theory in controlled settings such as

role-playing with other practitioners and discussing the results, analysing the theory, and

reflecting on the theory and outcomes with other professionals.

Conclusion

Holland’s theory of vocational personalities and work environments can offer a

structured framework for career practitioners to initially engage in exploration with their

clients. As their career landscapes develop, the use of Holland’s theory, alongside the

evolving understanding of the individual’s own self, may help practitioners to guide

individuals towards fulfilling and aligned career choices which may hopefully lead to life and

career satisfaction.
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