Applying career human agency theory to practice

Abstract

This article elaborates the emerging career human agency theory and its applicability to career psychology practice. Using Bandura’s human agency theory as a foundation, career human agency theory is a meta-theory that integrates key tenets from major theories in vocational and career psychology. It presents an endeavour of theoretical integration to conceive and understand career issues and vocational behaviours. The article provides a brief overview of career human agency theory, indicating its postmodern constructivist and constructionist worldview in conceptualizing life-career phenomena, while integrating life and career experiences into a dynamic and coherent whole. To this end, the four pillar theoretical principles and constructs of career human agency theory are reviewed, namely, career intentionality, career forethought, career self-reactiveness, and career self-reflectiveness. Furthermore, the article considers and explains the usefulness of the four constructs as they are applied to professional helping and self-helping processes that improve and enhance the vocational wellness of individuals, connecting career human agency theory to practice. In doing so, the article concludes with a case study illustration to demonstrate how these career human agency theory constructs and their related tenets and ideas can inform and guide career development practice and career counselling interventions, utilizing and strengthening agentic functioning in individuals’ worklife wellbeing.