The young generation is in a state of value deprivation and social maladaptation. I believe that emerging adults are a socially vulnerable group. The social development of young adults and their integration into the social space of the country takes place under conditions of social differentiation and polarization. They form a system of inequality in the realization of life chances and plans for young people.
Emerging adults are marginalized when viewed from the perspective of a generation transitioning from the world of adolescence to the world of adults, from one social role to another. This process of transition is highly contradictory. Firstly, the socialization process has become more complex and lengthened, and the criteria of social maturity have changed accordingly.
They are determined not only by entering independent working life but also by completing education, getting a profession, political rights, and material independence from parents. These factors do not work simultaneously and unequivocally in different social groups. The young person learns that the system of social roles of adults is contradictory. He or she may be responsible in one area and feel like an adolescent in another.
Second, young people’s social maturity development is influenced by many relatively independent factors: the family, school, the workplace, the media, youth organizations, and self-organized groups. This multiplicity of institutions and socialization mechanisms does not represent a rigid hierarchical system; each fulfills its specific functions in the development of the individual.
The social uncertainty of transformation processes in modernity forms a larger space of social risks in which young people try to realize their subjectivity. At the same time, emerging adults are deprived of such support as a unified system of socio-cultural norms and values, which acts as the basis of social regulation in society. In what way, the notion that there is a typology of personality types that are more or less congruent with occupational settings (Holland’s theory) might be useful to mental health counselors.
The occupational choice theory of the American researcher Holland, which has been developing since the early 70s, puts forward the position that occupational choice is conditioned by what type of personality has been formed. Six personality types can be distinguished: realistic, exploratory, artistic, social, entrepreneurial, and conventional. Each type is the product of a typical interaction between various cultural and personal factors, including parents, social class, physical environment, and heredity.
From these experiences, the individual learns to prefer certain activities that may become strong passions, lead to the formation of specific abilities, and condition the internal choice of a particular profession. Usually, several types are peculiar to each person: representatives of one or the other type are seldom met in pure form. The combination of the 2-3 most pronounced types forms a person’s professional code. Knowing this code, a person can choose the sphere of activity that best suits his/her preferences, abilities, and career expectations.
Holland’s methods are often used in vocational diagnostics (vocational guidance work, hiring) in a shortened version with pairwise comparisons. I believe that such a technique can be beneficial in psychological counseling. For example, psychologists will find it easier to establish contact with their patients, knowing what to expect from them. Moreover, suppose psychological counseling concerns the topic of career guidance, using Holland’s methodology.
In that case, the psychologist will be able to give better advice. It is also helpful for the patient because he can easily verify what type of personality he is being assigned. The main limitation of this technique is that, in practice, the boundaries between personality types are often very blurred. For the most part, people are a mixture of several types, which makes it difficult to draw conclusions. However, this methodology is still more suitable for primary psychological counseling, primarily for career guidance.