Emotion: An Absent Presence in Career Theory

Abstract

This article couples a review of some of the recent UK literature on careers and career interventions with arguments for greater attention to be given to the role of emotion in career development. In the United Kingdom, changes in the employment context have led career theory to become more concerned with understanding adult work-role transitions, and somewhat less emphasis is now given to initial occupational entry. Accordingly, the aims of career interventions have been extended to promote “career management” skills as well as career decision-making skills. It is argued that ideas from the literature on emotion can be employed to elaborate current notions of career management to take more account of the feelings and emotions underlying career transitions. In particular, examining sequences of cognition, affect, and behavior seems to be a promising way forward in further understanding changes to individuals' psychological contracts with their employing organizations. The literature on emotion generally and on emotional labor also has potential in understanding the dynamics of career counseling and in developing narrative approaches to counseling. An examination of the provision of career interventions in organizations shows how attending to the emotional dimensions of practice highlights some of the challenging political issues inherent in this context.