The career development theory that includes genetic endowments, environmental conditions, and events is associated with which author?

• A. Parson
• B. Gottfredson
• C. Super
• D. Krumboltz

Answer: (D)

This item tests recognizing the theorist who ties career development to a blend of biology, environment, and learning. The author is Krumboltz, known for the Learning Theory of Career Counseling (often framed within Social Cognitive Career Theory). In this view, career behavior arises from the interaction of genetic endowments (talents and predispositions), environmental conditions and events (opportunities, constraints, social context), and learning experiences (what people have learned through education, work, modeling, reinforcement, and cognitive processing). Because it emphasizes how both innate factors and experiences shape choices, it explains why people with similar backgrounds can take different paths and how new learning experiences can lead to new career directions. This contrasts with other theories that focus more on fixed traits, circumscribed choices, or life-span roles, rather than a learning-rich, interaction-based framework.