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A volume in Research in Careers
Series Editors S. Gayle Baugh, University of West Florida
and Sherry E. Sullivan, Bowling Green State University
Volume 2 of the Research in Careers series focuses on the search for authenticity in one's career.
Although there has been growing interest in the topic within the popular press, relatively little
academic research has been completed on authenticity and careers. Researchers are still refining
the concept of authenticity and are just beginning to investigate how it influences the enactment
of careers in today's turbulent career landscape. This volume offers the first organized effort on
the topic.
This volume contains seven chapters which examine the search for authenticity derived from the Kaleidoscope Career Model (Mainiero
& Sullivan, 2006). Chapters 1 and 2 present a review of the literature and an in-depth analysis of the construct of authenticity. Chapter
1 offers a new lens to view career authenticity based on two dimensions of self-awareness and adaptability. Chapter 2 uses two case
studies to define how individuals are authentic in their career. Chapters 3 and 4 examine the authenticity of individuals in different
career stages, with Chapter 3 examining recent college graduates and Chapter 4 examining mid to late stage careerists. Chapters 5, 6
and 7 focus on the interplay between social interactions and career authenticity. Chapter 5 offers a process model that traces how,
through negotiation, a person's identities shape and are shaped by relationships with others, leading to the enactment of an authentic
career. Chapter 6 explores how individuals remain authentic in their career while negotiating
the conflicting expectations of multiple interest groups. Chapter 7 examines the complex
relationships among career authenticity, political behaviors, and strain.
