John L. Holland

John Lewis Holland (October 21, 1919 – November 27, 2008) was an American psychologist and professor emeritus of Sociology at Johns Hopkins University. He was the creator of the career development model, Holland Occupational Themes, commonly known as the Holland Codes.

Early life and education Holland was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. At the age of 20, Holland's father emigrated from England to the U.S. He initially worked as a laborer, later becoming an advertising executive after attending night school at the YMCA. Holland's mother was an elementary school teacher, and he was one of four children. and from the University of Nebraska at Omaha (then Municipal University of Omaha) in 1942. He received his B.A. in psychology (and also studied French and math). Holland joined the army after graduating from college, becoming engaged in the events of World War II. He stayed with the army as a private until 1946, working as "a classification interviewer, test proctor, paralegal clerk, laborer, squadron clerk, psychological assistant, and Wechsler test administrator [.... this experience] led to his belief that many people exemplify common psychological types, although his training had fostered the belief that people are infinitely complex. He was also able to work with and get training from social workers, psychologists, and physicians—experiences that stimulated his desire to become a psychologist."

Holland was an "average" student at Minnesota, where he had "trouble finding an interesting" topic for his doctoral dissertation.

Career His initial work after completing his Ph.D. was at Western Reserve University and the Veteran's Administration Psychiatric Hospital (1953–56). The 1959 article in particular ("A Theory of Vocational Choice," published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology) is considered the first major introduction of Holland's "theory of vocational personalities and work environments."

According to the Committee on Scientific Awards, Holland's "research shows that personalities seek out and flourish in career environments they fit and that jobs and career environments are classifiable by the personalities that flourish in them." Holland also wrote of his theory that "the choice of a vocation is an expression of personality." Furthermore, while Holland suggests that people can be "categorized as one of six types," he also argues that "a six-category scheme built on the assumption that there are only six kinds of people in the world is unacceptable on the strength of common sense alone. But a six category scheme that allows a simple ordering of a person's resemblance to each of the six models provides the possibility of 720 different personality patterns."

Holland's typology provides an interpretative structure for a number of different vocational interest surveys, including the two measures he developed: The Vocational Preference Inventory in 1953 since its inception during the late 1990s.

Selected publications My Life With a Theory: John L. Holland's Autobiography and Theory of Careers (published posthumously in 2020) The Career Attitudes and Strategies Inventory (1994, with Gottfredson). The Position Classification Inventory (1991, with Gottfredson) The Dictionary of Holland Occupational Codes (1982, 1989 & 1996, with Gottfredson) Making Vocational Choices: A Theory of Careers (1973, 1985 & 1997) The Self Directed Search (1970, 1977, 1985, 1990, 1994 & 2013) The Psychology of Vocational Choice (1966) The Vocational Preference Inventory (1953)