Chapter 16: Creating a Sense of Hope: The Essence of Career Construction for Life Designing in a Developing Country Context

Events such as the recent economic meltdown accompanied by downsizing, retrenchments, rising unemployment, mounting uncertainty at all levels and an exponential increase in the rate of change force people to deal with repeated transitions at all levels of their existence. These transitions are often difficult to handle and give rise to feelings of vulnerability and concern. People frequently lose sight of the bigger picture and tend to become despondent and lose hope. In times like these, society seems to lose its respect for values with increased emphasis placed on the here and now, on the self and on survival. Little consideration is given to the meaning of work and the well-being of others. Savickas (2009a, 2009b, 2009c) argue that a new social arrangement of work poses questions and challenges to scholars who attempt to be of use to people as they design their lives at the beginning of the 21st century. These questions and challenges are often more pronounced in developing country contexts than elsewhere.