RIASEC
RIASEC is the name of the interests model developed by John L. Holland since 1977 and can be found in the field of work and organizational psychology .
Holland sees interests as basic personality orientations. Accordingly, the choice of occupation is conditioned by these general characteristics of a person. The fit between person and profession is greatest when the individual orientation is congruent with the orientation of the profession (agreement or proximity of the orientations). A good fit results in higher job satisfaction , more professional success and greater stability in career development (“congruence theory”).
RIASEC typology
The term RIASEC is made up of the initials of the 6 interest orientations. When classifying human interests, Holland (according to Schuler & Hörste, 2001) followed an old Spranger typology from 1913.
- R ealistic orientation: People of this type should be active and brisk (to aggressive), motor skills and “masculine” in their interests (physical activity, concrete circumstances instead of abstract problems) and values (more conventional political and economic values). When choosing a career, they are increasingly tending towards manual, technical or agricultural and forestry occupations (also conceivable e.g. protection service providers).
- I nvestigative or research-orientation (sometimes called "intellectual" ~): This type is supposed to be task-oriented and try to cope with problems primarily on the intellectual level. He has a strong need to understand connections and has rather unconventional values and attitudes. People with this orientation should find themselves primarily in scientific and mathematical professions or in medicine.
- A rtistic (artistic) orientation: artistically oriented people resemble intellectually oriented people with regard to their “intraceptive” orientation (relation to themselves and their own mind). You should have a great need for self-expression using artistic media and avoid highly structured problems and tasks if gross motor skills are required. People of this kind are said to have a lower ego strength, to be more feminine and to suffer more often from emotional disorders. You should, of course, primarily tend towards artistic or cultural and artistic professions.
- S ocial orientation: People of this type feel socially responsible, moreover, they should be characterized by a strong need for attention and social interaction. They have good verbal and social skills, but tend to deal with problems less intellectually than emotionally or through social activity. Typical professions: educational and special needs, social worker, clinical psychologist, career counselor, community service.
- E nterprising (entrepreneurial) orientation: People of this type see themselves as strong leaders. Characteristic are pronounced verbal skills, communicative skills and enjoyment of competitive situations. Nevertheless, they should avoid clearly defined verbal situations and tasks that require prolonged, strenuous intellectual effort. Professional preferences are in the areas of public relations, business life and sales (hotelier, entrepreneur, industrial consultant, real estate agent, campaign manager, insurance agent, etc.).
- C onventional (traditional) Orientation: Characteristic is the preference of largely structured (verbal / numeric) tasks and subordinates roles (identification with positions of power, conformist settings). This also means that people of this type value material property and status and avoid unclear situations or problems that require social activity or strong physical abilities. Career choice: office work (accountant, auditor, bank clerk, statistician, IT operator) or service area.
The individual interest profiles can be diagnosed using the general interest structure test (German version: Bergmann & Eder, 1992). There is a hexagonal model to determine the similarity between personality types, environmental types and their relationships. An inventory developed by Holland itself for recording professional interests is the Self-Directed Search (SDS), which is available in German under the name Explorix .
Fit of person and environment
In their manual for the General Interest Structure Test ( AIST ) (1992) Bergmann and Eder give the graphical arrangement of interests according to Holland to determine the similarity of personality and interest types. Accordingly, the 6 types of interest each form the 6 corners of the hexagon, with the corners being labeled R, I, A, S, E and C from left to right. The closer two interest types are on the hexagon, the more similar they are. Opposite corners / interests (RS, IE, AC) are therefore not at all similar. Holland also assumes that people with more closely related interests have more stable interests and more stable professional activities.
According to Bergmann and Eder there are four levels of congruence: “If z. B. a practically-technically oriented person (R) takes up a practically-technical occupation (R), then there is maximum person-environment congruence; If the same person (R) takes up an intellectual-researching (I) or conventional (C) occupation, then there is a medium congruence and, for an artistic-linguistic (A) or entrepreneurial (E) occupation, low congruence. If an R-type takes on a social occupation (S), it is an incongruent choice. ” (Bergmann & Eeder, 1992, quoted from Schuler & Hörst, 2001).
To determine the fit between person and environment (work), in addition to the congruence , the level of differentiation is determined, which is defined by the degree of clarity of the person or environment profile ("pure orientations" are rather rare, mixed types and overlaps of two or more Interest orientations the rule).
criticism
"The main problem with the Holland approach is that both the person and the professional environment are viewed as largely unchangeable and, above all, as independent of one another".
See also
- Holland, JL (1997): Making vocational choices: A theory of vocational personalities and work environments. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
- Bergmann, C. & Eder, F. (1992): General Interest Structure Test / Environment Structure Test (AIST / UST) . Weinheim: Beltz.
- Explorix (questionnaire for training and career planning for apprentices, technical students, high school students or adults)
literature
- Schuler, H. & Höft, S. (2001): Construct-oriented procedures of personnel selection . In: H. Schuler (Ed.): Textbook of Personnel Psychology (p. 121f). Göttingen: Hogrefe, ISBN 3-8017-0944-2
- Moser, K. & Schmook, R. (2001): Professional and organizational socialization . In: H. Schuler (Ed.): Textbook of Personal Psychology (p. 221ff). Göttingen: Hogrefe, ISBN 3-8017-0944-2