Key Points

Career choice and development are based on rational and

conscious action of an individual.
Occupational choice is a long term process
The process becomes increasingly irreversible
The eventual choice represents a compromise between what
the individual would ideally prefer and the available realistic
possibilities.
Occupational choice and eventual entry is a process consisting
of a series of stages that the individual will go through.

Ginzbergs Theory
of Career Choice
and Development
Batrisyia
Farah
Adibah
Hawa

STAGES

Fantasy
Tentative
Reality

Fantasy

From birth to 11 years old

It is a stage characterized by wishful thinking and
arbitrary choices.
The chief feature of this stage, according to him, is the
arbitrary nature of the childs choices and the lack of
reality orientation reflected in the fact that children
ignore reality, their own potentials and abilities, or the
time perspective of three of the very important
ingredients in the vocational choice process.
During the period of fantasy the child makes arbitrary
choices.
There is no serious vocational consideration.

 The immediate environment especially the parents and

what the child sees around him influence his
occupational likes and dislikes.
In essence, it can be inferred that the child at the fantasy
stage of vocational development just makes a vocational
choice without giving serious thought to important
considerations.
In the words of Makinde and Alao (1987), their approach
to career decision making lacks reality orientation, while
it is firmly dominated by play orientation.(p. 53)

Tentative

11 to 17 years
This period is an advancement of the fantasy
stage.
It is called tentative because as individuals
mature, they realise that their vocational choices
are subject to change, and that rational choice of
vocations requires some real life experiences.
During the period, the individual begins to realise
that there are some activities he likes and enjoys
doing more than other activities.
He gradually develops interest in those activities
he likes doing while his interest in those he does
not like wanes.
The stage is sub-divided in to four, namely; the
interest, capacity, value, and transition substages.

The Interest sub-stage

This stage occurs between the ages of 11
and 12, and is the time the individual
begins to recognise the need to identify a
career direction.
Here, the individuals choice is based
purely on his interests.
But even though interests form the
primary basis of choice here, there is also
a rather subtle awareness of the fact that
ability is also necessary.

The Capacity Sub-Stage

The capacity stage manifests from 12 years to
14 years.
At this stage, the individual begins to be aware
of the importance of introducing realistic
elements into his choice.
So he begins to consider his own abilities and
capabilities in the choice process.
However, because knowledge of capacities for
most adolescents is incomplete, career choices
made at this sub-stage are still tentative
(Makinde & Alao, 1987).

The Value Sub-Stage

The period covers 15 to 16 years.
According to Oladele (1987), this is the stage
when individuals undergo marked changes in
their approach to vocational choice.
The individual at this stage considers the
value of his service to society before making
a choice.
He does not choose a vocation just because
everybody else is choosing it or merely
because of its status.

Reality

17 to 22 years or as late as 24
years.
The age range of this period is said to be more
flexible than the other stages because of
variations in training requirements of different
careers.
At this stage, the individual explores,
crystallises a general occupational choice, and
specifies in the actual occupational choice
within the psychological framework of realistic
thinking.
This stage is also divided into the exploration,
crystallisation and specification sub-stages

The exploration sub-stage

The individual at this stage tries to acquire
experience and select a path to follow from
among two or more strongly held alternative
vocational interests (Oladele, 1987).
Here, the individual investigates occupational
opportunities virtually the last time and options
are sorted out.
According to Makinde and Alao (1987), the
individual nonetheless still displays a good deal
of vocational flexibility, as general indecisiveness
of the tentative period still persists.

The crystallisation substage

This is the time when the vocational patterns of the individual
become clearer to him.
So he actually makes a vocational choice, having in mind a
clear idea of occupational tasks he wishes to engage in and
those he wishes to avoid.
Onyejiaku (2001) noted that some authors and researchers
are of the view that some individuals do not advance beyond
the crystallisation point possibly because of some biological,
psychological or sociological forces which influence them and
which determine their vocational advancement.

The specifiction sub-stage

This stage represents the final point of career development.
At this stage, the individual focuses on a particular
occupation. He is ready to accommodate himself or
compromise with reality.
Here, choices are delimited and the individual becomes more
specific in career choice. Alternatives are reviewed with
respect to a field of specialisation and to particular
objectives.
Ginzberg et al. (1951) as cited by Makinde and Alao (1987)
also identified four sets of factors or variables that they
believe interact to influence the ultimate career choice.
The factors are: the reality factor, the educational process,
the value system, and the individuals emotional make-up.