Brief overview of the advancement of postmodern approaches to career counseling

Abstract

Global changes in people’s lifestyles and in the world of work (prompted by changes in the global economy) have necessitated changes in the facilitation of career counseling in the postmodern era. This article attempts to provide a concise overview of the advancement of postmodern approaches in career counseling. First, it critically evaluates the influence of changes in the workplace on people’s lifestyles. Subsequently it elucidates the influence of the different waves in psychology and the economy on helping models in career counseling, and the way in which these waves have shaped the theory and practice of career counseling. This is followed by an illumination of the paradigm shift in career counseling from a predominantly quantitative (positivist) approach to an acknowledgement of the value of qualitative approaches and the development of a combined qualitative-quantitative approach. Lastly, the article explicates the fairly recent emergence of constructivist approaches (concurrently with the emergence of life designing) and career adaptability as a core aim of career counseling.