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Career Development from a Systems Perspective: The Systems Theory Framework

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Handbook of Systems Sciences

Abstract

At its inception in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, career development was viewed as an inherently systemic process. Systems mapping based on the Systems Theory Framework has been used at the microlevel to conceptualize the career development of individuals and at the macrolevel to conceptualize career counseling and career assessment, career education in school systems, and career research. This chapter describes developments across these fields, emphasizing the efficacy of systems mapping in understanding and negotiating the complexity of career development. The authors argue that career development practice founded on systems thinking is more likely to meet client needs.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Mary McMahon

  2. Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Wendy Patton

Authors
  1. Mary McMahon
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  2. Wendy Patton
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Correspondence to Mary McMahon .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. InterConnections, LLC, Ashland, KY, USA

    Gary S. Metcalf

  2. Graduate School of Decision Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan

    Kyoichi Kijima

  3. CABSSS, Tokyo Institute of Technology CABSSS, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

    Hiroshi Deguchi

Section Editor information

  1. Organizational Systems Research & Strategy, Equipoise Enterprises, Inc., Ithaca, NY, USA

    Mary C. Edson

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McMahon, M., Patton, W. (2021). Career Development from a Systems Perspective: The Systems Theory Framework. In: Metcalf, G.S., Kijima, K., Deguchi, H. (eds) Handbook of Systems Sciences. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0720-5_30

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