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Family role transformation onto occupational roles

University of British Columbia

In a series of ten case studies, this study examined the theoretical proposition that family experience serves as a metaphor for the world. Through a metaphoric transformation, family roles were expected to be displaced onto work roles, where they serve as types for understanding and relating within a work setting. Ten individuals, five men and five women, ranging in age from 23 to 62 were recruited through contacts, for participation in the study. All had a minimum of at least one year's experience in their present jobs. Participants were selected to represent a diverse range of occupations ranging from parking checker and hairdresser to lawyer and artist. Using 46 traits selected from Holland's (1978) theory of career development, each participant Q-sorted roles from the domains of self, family of origin, and work. For each participant separately, role inter-correlations were subjected to factor analysis. A principal components solution was first obtained and then submitted to a varimax rotation (Boldt, 1980). A visual display of role organization was presented to each participant for subjective validation and to stimulate a discussion of correspondences between family and work. The results indicated substantial interrelationships among roles. In addition, participants strongly confirmed the findings both by direct affirmation, indirect emotional responses, and their ability to elaborate and give meaning to the role relationships. Work roles appeared as variants of roles from one's family of origin.

Text

2010-06-14

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/25700

Counselling Psychology

University of British Columbia

Graduate