Who are the key figures associated with the trait-and-factor career counseling approach?

The trait-and-factor career counseling approach is fundamentally rooted in the work of Frank Parsons and his advocate, Edward A. Williamson. Parsons is often referred to as the father of vocational guidance, and he developed a systematic approach in the early 20th century that focused on matching individual traits with job factors. His model emphasizes understanding one's skills, interests, and personal attributes as a way to find suitable career paths. Williamson expanded on Parsons' ideas, contributing additional concepts and techniques to the trait-and-factor framework, emphasizing the importance of both assessment and matching in the career counseling process.

In contrast, while Holland and Super made significant contributions to career development with their own theories, their focus lay more on how personality traits connect with vocational choices rather than the strict matching process emphasized in trait-and-factor theory. Kazdin and Gladding are recognized for their contributions to clinical psychology and counseling techniques, respectively, rather than career counseling specifically. Lastly, Frankl and Maslow are known for their work in existential psychology and humanistic psychology, rather than for contributions to career counseling strategies. Thus, Parsons and Williamson are rightly identified as the key figures in the trait-and-factor approach.