A systems theory approach to career decision making

Many career development studies have linked career indecision, an inability to make a decision about the vocation one wishes to pursue, to interpersonal and intrapersonal processes. Systems theory can help to explain the processes behind these concepts in a way that other theories have not been able to explain. Systems Theory Framework, (STF, Patton and McMahon, 1997), incorporates both the contextual system, e.g., parents and peers, and the individual system (i.e., STF's content component). Process, the second component, identifies the presence of recursive interaction processes within the individual and the context, as well as, between the individual and the context. STF brings back the value of interdependence. Specific systemic constructs are useful in career decision-making and can add a practical dimension on to the counseling process.