Chapter 1: Work Values: A Career Construction Elaboration

The social reorganization of work in the 21st century transforms permanent jobs into temporary assignments. Accordingly, an individual’s career decision making may be shaped more by work values than by vocational interests. This explains, in part, the recent spate of vocational psychology and career counseling articles and books on constructs such as values, purpose, meaning, calling, and spirituality. This chapter contributes to that literature by examining the meaning and counseling use of work values from the perspective of career construction theory (Savickas, 2005, 2013) and life design practice (Savickas, 2011, 2012). In so doing, it describes values within the nexus of motivational constructs that also includes needs and interests. Furthermore, the chapter describes how counselors may help clients formulate plans for purposeful action, that is, behaviors infused with personal meaning sustained by needs, values, and interests.