Career happiness is reexamined for relevance to non-Western cultures. Joseph Campbell's (1968Campbell's ( , 1972Campbell's ( , 1988) ) interpretations of myth are reviewed for individualistic vs. interdependent themes and critiqued in light of Asian American vocational concerns, with examples from Chinese culture. Counselors are encouraged to reflect cultural sensitivity and understanding through collectivist interpretations of mythological archetypes and metaphors.
La felicidad de la carrera se reconsidera para la aplicabilidad a culturas nooccidentales. Las interpretaciones de Joseph Campbell (1968, 1972, 1988) del mito se revisan para individualista vs. temas interdependientes y critican en relación a Asiático Americano preocupación vocacional, con ejemplos de la cultura china. Los consejeros son alentados a reflejar la sensibilidad cultural y el entendimiento por interpretaciones colectivistas de arquetipos y metáforas mitológicos.
A s the forces of cross-cultural psychology continue to affect other traditional disciplines in the field, trends in vocational psychology are shifting. If the aim of cross-cultural psychology is to push cultural context and diverse worldviews to the forefront in education, research, and counseling, then traditional methods in career counseling must change. One psychology can no longer fit all people, nor can vocational counseling have just one lens. The goal of this article is to examine the current notions of career happiness in cross-cultural terms.
Career happiness is a philosophical concept founded on the archetypes and metaphors offered by the late philosopher and mythologist Joseph Campbell (1968, 1988). The themes of the Hero's Journey and "follow your bliss" offered perspectives for counselors helping clients to create continuity from oftentimes divergent life and career experiences (Henderson, 2000). Campbell's focus on the quest for happiness and meaning came at a time when Western people were reevaluating the meaning of vocation in their lives (Waterman, Waterman, & Collard, 1994). A wellspring of popular literature exploring meaning, purpose, and soulfulness within the career experience emerged. Many Western career psychologists began departing from traditional ideas of "job satisfaction," in-