Occupational Environments - An Activity-Based Approach Based on Holland

Holland (1997) differentiated six primary vocational interests and six corresponding vocational environments (realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional). Vocational interests are the expression of people’s personalities that fit vocations in which certain personalities flourish. All vocations that fit an interest constitute a vocational environment. Different vocational environments require different self-beliefs and problem-solving styles or concrete tasks instead of abstract tasks or physical work instead of mental work. In short, vocational environments provide their incumbents with varying environmental limitations and opportunities. This notion is everything but new, but Holland’s idea of vocational environments has been confined to psychological and career counseling research. From a sociological point of view it is questionable to assume that the choice of vocation is solely an expression of personality. However, interest-based choices of vocations may very well lead into vocational environments that differ in the limitations and opportunities for income, further education, job security, health, status, prestige, and so on. Holland (1997) differentiated six primary vocational interests and six corresponding vocational environments (realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional). Vocational interests are the expression of people’s personalities that fit vocations in which certain personalities flourish. All vocations that fit an interest constitute a vocational environment. Different vocational environments require different self-beliefs and problem-solving styles or concrete tasks instead of abstract tasks or physical work instead of mental work. In short, vocational environments provide their incumbents with varying environmental limitations and opportunities. This notion is everything but new, but Holland’s idea of vocational environments has been confined to psychological and career counseling research. From a sociological point of view it is questionable to assume that the choice of vocation is solely an expression of personality. However, interest-based choices of vocations may very well lead into vocational environments that differ in the limitations and opportunities for income, further education, job security, health, status, prestige, and so on.