ROLE TRANSITION IN CAREER DEVELOPMENT.

ROLE TRANSITIONS IN ADULT CAREER DEVELOPMENT IS PRESENTED IN TERMS OF THE TECHNICAL, SOCIAL, AND DIRECTIVE ROLE ELEMENTS FOUND IN TWO STUDIES OF MANAGERIAL BEHAVIOR AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT. THE INDIVIDUAL'S LIFE SPACE IS THE BASIC FORMULATION OF THIS IDEA. THAT IS, MAJOR CHANGES IN THE CONFIGURATION OF THE INDIVIDUAL'S INTERPERSONAL NETWORK CONSTITUTE ROLE TRANSITION. TECHNICAL, SOCIAL, AND DIRECTIVE ROLE PERFORMANCE ARE THREE DIMENSIONS OF MANAGERIAL BEHAVIOR. THE MANNER IN WHICH THE INDIVIDUAL RESOLVES POTENTIAL CONFLICT AMONG THESE THREE ROLES, EITHER BY INTEGRATION, POLARIZATION, OR WITHDRAWL, IS RELATED TO HIS OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS IN THE JOB. THE MORE EFFECTIVE CAREER IS MARKED BY ROLE TRANSITION EMBRACING ALL THREE COMPONENTS. SOCIAL, TECHNICAL, AND DIRECTIVE ROLE PERFORMANCE ALSO REFLECTS A NATURAL SEQUENCE OF INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP DEVELOPMENT OVER TIME. THIS PAPER WAS READ AT THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION MEETING (WASHINGTON, D.C., SEPTEMBER 2, 1967). (CG)