title: Virtue Existential Career Model: A Dialectic and Integrative Approach Echoing Eastern Philosophy.
abstract: Our Virtue Existential Career (VEC) model aims at complementing western modernism and postmodernism career theories with eastern philosophy. With dialectical philosophy and virtue-practice derived from theClassic of Changes, the VEC theoretical foundation incorporates merits from Holland typology, Minnesota Theory of Work Adjustment, Social Cognitive Career Theory, Meaning Therapy, Narrative Approach Career Counseling, and Happenstance Learning Theory. While modernism considers a matched job as an ideal career vision and prefers rational strategies (controlling and realizing) to achieve job security; postmodernism prefersappreciating and adaptingstrategies toward openness and appreciates multiple possible selves and occupations, our model pursues a blending of security and openness viacontrolling-and-realizingandappreciating-and-adaptinginterwoven with each other in a dialectical and harmonious way. Our VEC counseling prototype aims at a secular goal ofliving on the earth with ways and harmony() and an ultimate end to spiral up to thewisdom of living up to the way of heaven()with mind and virtue(). A VEC counseling process of five major career strategies, metaphorical stories ofqianandkun, and experiential activities are developed to deliver VEC concepts. The VEC model and prototype presented in this research is the product of an action research following Lewin's (1946) top-to-down model. Situated structure analyses were conducted to further investigate the adequacy of this version of VEC model and prototype. Data from two groups (one for stranded college graduates and the other for growing college students) revealed empirical supports. Yangtype of career praxes tends to induce actualization, which resulting in realistic goals and concrete action plans;yintype of career praxes tends to increase self-efficacy, which resulting in positive attitude toward current situatedness and future development. Acceptance and dialectic thinking often result fromyin-yang-blending career praxes. Growing developers benefit from a strategy sequence ofyang-yin-synthesized; stranded developers from a strategy sequence ofyin-yang-synthesized. Our contributions and limitations are discussed in the context of developing indigenous career theories and practices for a globalized and ever-changing world.
authors.affiliation: Department of Guidance and Counseling, National Changhua University of EducationChanghua, Taiwan; Chinese Career Research Center, National Changhua University of EducationChanghua, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shu-Hui
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Counseling Psychology, Chinese Culture University Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jui-Ping
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Fu Jen Catholic University Xinbei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hsin-I
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Bai-Du System Design Co. Ltd Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chia-Hui
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Tainan Municipal Fusing Junior High School Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yi-Jen
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Lu
keywords: Chinese philosophy; Classic of Changes (Yi-Jing); career theory; dialectical philosophy; existential therapy; indigenous psychology; postmodernism; virtue psychology