Holland’s typological model and its role in career counseling

This personality model is widely used in job counseling.

Personality is the general pattern of behavior, perception and thinking that each of us has, our individual configuration being unique and distinctive compared to that of others. However, the traits themselves that make up this personality are more or less the same, although we possess them to different degrees within a continuum.

The great differences between them have led to attempts to integrate the knowledge about personality in different currents of thought, generating different personality models, some of which have a specific objective. An example of this is Holland's typological modelwhich proposes a series of basic personality patterns that are mainly used in the field of vocational orientation.

Holland's typological model

Holland's typological model is a proposed personality model that arises from the author's intention to generate an explanatory theory regarding the choice of a professional occupation, linking different characteristics and traits to the correct performance and taste for certain tasks and work areas. For the author, we tend to want to find a high level of congruence between our personality and the job. congruence between our personality and the type of task we perform..

For Holland, the choice of a specific career or profession will depend on the development of the set of elements and traits that make up the personality, being more competent and feeling greater satisfaction in their work according to the harmony between their personality and the type of task performed.

With the aim of contributing to help in vocational orientation, the author generated a hexagonal model with six main personality types, which he links to certain types of environments and interests. This does not mean that we cannot perform a task that does not correspond to our personality type, but simply that if we are looking for a job where we can develop our main skills, we will tend to look for and feel more comfortable in certain areas. It would be a matter of finding jobs for which we could feel a vocationThe relationship between profession and personality is bidirectional: it is not only that certain professions require certain skills and ways of doing, but also that the type of task attracts people with a certain personality.

The relationship between profession and personality is bidirectional: it is not only that certain professions require certain skills and ways of doing things, but it also derives from the fact that the type of task attracts people with a particular personality. The result is that a large number of professionals in a given sector tend to have relatively similar personality characteristics if they are doing the job out of vocation and not merely out of necessity.

The ascription to a certain personality type or the choice of one career or another is neither better nor worse, all being equally positive and necessary. It should also be borne in mind that it is difficult for a person to be totally reflected with only one personality type.We all have different traits that make us complex beings and that can make us fit into different profiles. In these cases the professional choice may seem more complicated, although in general some characteristics or interests prevail over others.

The different personality types

As we have said, Holland's model establishes, according to the predominant characteristics of each individual, the belonging or possession of one of the six personality types which facilitate the orientation towards certain types of professions. The six types are the following.

1. Realistic

The realistic personality refers to that pattern of behavior and thought that tends to see the world as an objective and concrete whole. They take the world as it comes to them. They tend to be realistic, dynamic, materialistic and although they are not asocial, contact with others is not a priority for them. They also tend to be patient and constant.

This type of personality tends to feel more comfortable doing direct work, with strong practical components and which require a certain motor skills and systematic use of elements.. They tend to Excel in the use of mechanical instruments and with the need for manual precision. Fields such as agriculture and livestock, architecture or engineering would be conducive to this type of personality.

2. Intellectual

This type of personality tends more to the observation and analysis of the world, often in an abstract way and trying to make associations and find relationships between the phenomena that occur in it. They are curious, analytical personalities, with a tendency to introspection and the use of reason over emotion. They are not particularly sociable and tend to have a rather theoretical approach to the world, not so interested in practice.They are not particularly sociable and tend to have a rather theoretical approach to the world, being less interested in practice.

This personality corresponds to tasks mainly based on research. Physics, chemistry, economics or biology are some of the fields in which this type of personality tends to be observed.

3. Social

The most notable aspect of people with this personality type is the need or desire to help others by dealing with them, and their high need for human interaction. their high need for human interaction.. They are usually very empathic and idealistic, highly communicative and have a certain facility or taste for relationships and cooperation.

The type of tasks in which this type of personality is usually found are all those that involve direct contact with other people and in which such interaction has as its objective the idea of giving support to the other. Psychologists, doctors, nurses, teachers or social workers often have characteristics of this personality type. More mechanical tasks are not usually to their liking.

4. Artistic

Creativity and the use of materials in search of expression are some of the main elements that characterize the artistic personality. It is not uncommon for them to be impulsive, idealistic and impulsive, idealistic and highly emotional and intuitive people.. Aesthetics and being able to project their feelings to the world is important to them, and they tend to be independent people. Although they also try to see the world from abstraction, they tend to focus more on emotion and tend to dislike the merely intellectual, possessing the need to elaborate and create.

Painters, sculptors or musicians are some of the professionals who tend to this type of personality. Also dancers and actors, writers and journalists.

5. Entrepreneur

Persuasiveness and communication skills are typical aspects of the entrepreneurial personality. A certain level of dominance and pursuit of achievement and power are usual in this type of person, as well as courage and risk-taking ability. They are generally socially with social skills and highly extravertedThey are generally socially skilled and highly extraverted, with leadership abilities and a high level of energy.

Professions in which this type of person is prevalent are the banking and business world. Businessmen and entrepreneurs also tend to have traits of this type of personality.

6. Conventional

This personality type is characterized by a taste for order without the need to introduce major changes in it. They do not need a great deal of social contact at the work level. They tend to be highly organized, orderly, disciplined and formal people. A certain tendency to conformism is not uncommon, since they identify with the established organization. they identify with the established organization. They tend to be agile and logical.

Within this type of personality we find people with a vocation for aspects such as accounting, office work, secretarial work, librarians ... in general with a tendency to seek order.

Conclusion

Holland's typological model, despite its limitations and having been criticized for numerous reasons (for example, it does not allow us to predict whether within the same type of occupational environment one position or another may be more recommendable, and it is also worth noting that there will be people whose characteristics overlap with more than one of the types), is still today one of the most relevant in the field of professional orientation..

The test that Holland created on the basis of this model, the Vocational Preferences Inventory, is widely known and has also served as a basis for the creation of other questionnaires and models that provide a better approach to the relationship between personality characteristics and suitability for certain professional fields.

Bibliographical references:

• Holland, J. (1978). Vocational choice. Career theory. Editorial Trillas: Mexico.
• Martínez, J.M.; Valls, F. (2008). Application of Holland's theory to occupational classification. Adaptation of the Inventory of Classification of Occupations (ICO). Revista Mexicana de Psicología, 25 (1): 151-164. Mexican Society of Psychology, Mexico.