Holland Codes

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The Holland Codes or the Holland Occupational Themes (RIASEC)[1][2] represents a set of personality types described in a theory of careers and vocational choice formulated by the late psychologist John L. Holland beginning in the 1950s.[3] Each letter or code stands for a particular "type": Realistic (Doers), Investigative (Thinkers), Artistic (Creators), Social (Helpers), Enterprising (Persuaders), and Conventional (Organizers)."[4][5][6]

The US Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA) has been using the RIASEC model in the "Interests" section of its free online database, The Occupational Information Network (O*NET) since its inception during the late 1990s. [7][8][9]

Contents

[edit] Summary of theory

The Holland RIASEC hexagon

The RIASEC model developed by John L. Holland (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, Conventional) reflects his theory that "the choice of a vocation is an expression of personality." [10] According to the Committee on Scientific Awards, Holland's "research shows that personalities seek out and flourish in career environments they fit and that jobs and career environments are classifiable by the personalities that flourish in them."[3] Holland's theory does not assume that a person is just one type or that there are "only six types of people in the world." [10] Instead, he suggests that any person could be described as having interests associated with each of the six types in a descending order of preference. This assumption allows the Holland Codes to be used to describe 64 (26) different personality patterns. As the theory is applied in interest inventories and job classifications, it is usually only the top two or three most dominant codes that are used for vocational guidance. In presenting his theory, Holland graphically represented the six types as arrayed on a hexagon. This graphic representation serves to describe the empirically determined correlations between the types. The shorter the distance between their corners on the hexagon, the more closely they are related.[10]

[edit] Sample professions

The following professions are listed by a dominant category.

[edit] Doers (Realistic)

"Independent, stable, persistent, genuine, practical, and thrifty [...] tasks that are tactile, physical, athletic, or mechanical [...] being outdoors, using tools, operating machines, interacting with animals, and working with their hands." [11]

[edit] Thinkers (Investigative)

"Intellectual, introspective, and inquisitive. They are curious, methodical, rational, analytical, and logical [...] scholarly, scientific, technical, or medical [...] avid readers. They like to solve problems, perform experiments, and conduct research. [11]

[edit] Creators (Artistic)

"Creative, intuitive, sensitive, articulate, and expressive. They are unstructured, original, nonconforming, and innovative. They rely on feelings, imagination, and inspiration. They like to work with ideas, abstractions, and concepts. They are spontaneous and open-minded.[11]

[edit] Helpers (Social)

"Kind, generous, cooperative, patient, caring, helpful, empathetic, tactful, and friendly. They excel at socializing, helping others, and teaching. They like tasks that involve teamwork, social interaction,relationship building, and improvement of society.[11]

[edit] Persuaders (Enterprising)

"Adventurous, ambitious, assertive, extroverted, energetic, enthusiastic, confident, and optimistic. They are dominant, persuasive, and motivational [...] They like influencing others, being in charge, taking risks, debating, and competing.[11]

[edit] Organizers (Conventional)

"Conscientious and conservative. They are logical, efficient, orderly, and organized. They are thorough and detail-oriented. They value precision and accuracy. They are reliable. They enjoy practical tasks, quantitative measurements, and structured environments. They follow the rules."[11]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Georgetown University:Career/Major Interest Game
  2. ^ George Mason University Career Services: Holland Themes
  3. ^ a b John L. Holland: Award for Distinguished Scientific Application of Psychology
  4. ^ Watertown School District: Discover Your Interests
  5. ^ New Hampshire Employment Security/New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau
  6. ^ Human Resources at UC Berkeley: Self-Assessment: Career Interests
  7. ^ Replace with a database: O*NET replaces the Dictionary of Occupational Titles
  8. ^ Rounds, James, Patrick I. Armstrong, Hsin-Ya Liao, and Phil Lewis & David Rivkin. "Second Generation Occupational Interest Profiles for the O*NET System: Summary." The National Center for O*NET Development, June 2008.
  9. ^ O*NET OnLine: Interests
  10. ^ a b c Holland, Making Vocational Choices: a theory of careers. Prentice-Hall, 1973.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Birmingham-Southern College Career Services: Careers and Personality

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

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