Dialogical self: co-investigator in career self-research

Abstract

Natural language used in conversations and therapeutic language used in dialogue between client and counsellor can be theorized as the workings of dialogical self. The metaphor of life as a story is evident in the way dialogical self is structured by conversational exchanges among multiple I-positions, embodied as the one person, who is in conversation with others real and imagined. My Career Chapter is a working model of the theory of dialogical self, applied to as narrative approach to career assessment and counselling. My Career Chapter facilitates self-reflexive dialogue with self and significant others represented as I-positions and who are part of the client’s career story. As such, My Career Chapter is a method for conducting self-research and as a way of knowing oneself from multiple perspectives. In this way, the client develops a rich and meaningful narrative about career that motivates decision-making and actions toward personally significant change.