A Quality of Life Approach to Career Development

Book excerpt: Career development - the processes that shape a person's career over his or her life - is a relatively new field of research in applied psychology. In A Quality of Life Approach to Career Development, Geoffrey S. Peruniak draws from philosophy, sociology, literature, anthropology, psychology, political science, and economics to form a new, holistic approach to career development that extends beyond paid work to include all aspects of life. Emphasizing that a person is a whole entity rather than a role or category, Peruniak also explores nature and the place of community in relation to career development theories. A highly original text with broad theoretical appeal to several disciplines, A Quality of Life Approach to Career Development also includes exercises and case studies. Most importantly, this book provides a new approach that will complement more specialized methods and serve as a foundation for further study in the field.