Pride and Prejudice: How do they matter to career development?

The notion of a personal career emerged as a response to needs expressed within the western, industrialised culture. This specific expression of human work behaviour appeared at a time in history when approaches to work in the west had been transformed by powerful movements such as the Protestant
Reformation and the Industrial Revolution. By contrast, the idea of choosing a personal career was not intrinsic to the cultural and economic environment that prevailed in non-western contexts at that time in history. Today, however, against the background of westernisation, industrialisation and now globalisation, the situation is quite different. With the rapid breaking down of older social mechanisms for occupational role allocation, questions surrounding career choices, decision-making, and career preparation have become a reality in the developing world as well. The fact remains, though, that career development occurs in a very different manner in these contexts and is influenced by distinctive factors that are specific to these situations.