The Life Task of Vocation: A Review of Adlerian Research Literature by Richard E. Watts and Dennis W. Engels

Discusses 4 constructs of individual psychology in the vocational research literature, namely, birth order, early recollections, lifestyle, and social interest. In Adlerian theory, birth order relates to psychological position or one’s perceived ordinal position. Studies have examined birth order in creative writers, scientists, soldiers, politicians, and female college faculty. Adler (1958) held that early recollections could play a valuable role in vocational assessment and guidance because they manifest important aspects of a person’s unique manner of perceiving and relating to the world. Various authors have examined the relation between lifestyle and occupational preference by surveying such diverse groups as graduate students, hospice nurses, and priests. Other literature has confirmed the Adlerian belief of a positive relation between respective levels of social interest and job satisfaction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)