Summary
Highlights
Psychologist John Holland specialized in career psychology, developing a theory on vocational personalities and work environments. He categorized jobs into six types: realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional. A person's job function and personality can combine any two or three of these, with ESA and ISC being common combinations. The theory suggests people are attracted to careers matching their interest patterns.
Realistic personalities enjoy creating things with their hands, working with tools and objects, and prefer practical, rugged, and outdoor work. Examples include engineers, mechanics, technicians, pilots, carpenters, and tailors.
Investigative types focus on scientific activities, prefer working alone, and are idea-oriented and creative in research. They are analytical, abstract, intellectual, and task-oriented. Occupations include economists, chemists, anthropologists, chiropractors, psychiatrists, psychologists, computer analysts, meteorologists, mathematicians, and engineers.
Artistic individuals are independent, imaginative, creative, and unconventional. They enjoy freedom, unstructured environments, and activities related to language, art, music, drama, and writing. Examples are journalists, foreign language interpreters, philosophers, musicians, entertainers, writers, designers, and architects.
Social personalities are sociable, popular, and responsible. They prefer social interaction and are interested in helping others by teaching, informing, training, developing, and curing. Relevant jobs include teaching, social welfare, counseling, health professions, historians, therapists, political scientists, sociologists, librarians, and Foreign Service officers.
Enterprising individuals are in positions of leading or convincing others to achieve goals or economic gain. They are often enthusiastic, dominant, and impatient. Occupations include sales, marketing, banking, insurance, real estate, lawyers, judges, managers, and government officials.
Conventional people prefer structured jobs with clear expectations. They are conscientious, efficient, and calm, enjoying activities involving precise, ordered use of data like record-keeping, organizing data, computing, and printing. Professions include financial experts, accountants, credit managers, office workers, bookkeepers, cashiers, secretaries, and proofreaders.
To increase career success and satisfaction, individuals should determine their personal style based on these combinations and seek careers that align with it. The ideas presented in this video are based on the content standards of the Department of Education.