Anne Roe’s career development theory was based on the work of:
A Carl Rogers
B Donald Super
C John Holland
D Sigmund Freud
The correct answer and explanation is :
The correct answer is D. Sigmund Freud.
Anne Roe’s career development theory was influenced by the work of Sigmund Freud, particularly his psychoanalytic theory. Roe was a psychologist who sought to apply Freud’s ideas to the realm of career development, using a psychological framework to understand how early childhood experiences and family dynamics affect career choices.
Roe’s theory emphasizes the role of early life experiences in shaping the individual’s career preferences and choices. According to Roe, a person’s career development is not just about skills and interests, but also about unconscious needs, motivations, and early relationships, particularly with parents. Her theory posits that the way children interact with their parents—whether over-protectively or in a more distant or neglectful manner—plays a significant role in the development of their career interests.
Roe classified careers into a system of eight fields, ranging from service-oriented jobs to scientific and artistic occupations. She believed that early experiences of emotional support or lack thereof influenced whether a person developed a preference for more interpersonal versus more solitary or technical work. For example, children who experienced over-protectiveness may gravitate toward careers that involve nurturing or service to others, while those who faced neglect might be drawn to more solitary or investigative roles.
Roe’s model also aligns with Freud’s concept of the “id,” “ego,” and “superego,” where the unconscious motivations and early childhood dynamics affect the development of career preferences. Her work was one of the first to link Freudian principles with vocational choices, illustrating how personality and emotional needs shaped career development.
Thus, while Roe acknowledged other career theorists like John Holland and Donald Super, it was Freud’s psychoanalytic framework that laid the foundation for her approach to understanding career development.