The relevance of Pierre Bourdieu within guidance Professor Gudbjörg Vilhjálmsdóttir, PhD University of Iceland gudvil@hi.is 1

Why is this theory relevant? Assisting people in making choices is at the heart of career counseling Decsions are a core feature of Bourdieu’s theory – based on a criticism of rational choice theory This theory has a sound basis for explaining both social and psychological aspects of decision making

Pierre Bourdieu (1930 – 2002): Philosophy  anthropology  sociology His theory and research interests reflect his personal trajectory Low class background made him an outsider in the dominant culture Bourdieu was a winner in a social system that he criticised fiercely  a divided habitus

Bourdieu’s theory at a glance: Society as a hall of games Social space: social cosmos: A hall Fields: micro-cosmos: card tables: games played for a price by written and unwritten rules – games with different logics. Artistic field, religious field, economic field, academia etc. Illusio: Being caught up in the game; believing that the game is worth playing At each card table people bring their capital (Greek) Habitus: knowing the rules and recognizing values in a field

The Habitus Concept Habitus is defined as a social subjectivity i.e. a meaning-making structure that originates in one‘s social environment. Habitus thus influences our value system, choices and everyday practices as well as bodily postures and ways of being.

Habitus and decision making To have a feel for the game – be like fish in water Sensible decisions are taken without much thinking Bourdieu is opposed to contrasting thinking and action. 6

Habitus distuinguishes between people Positions in a field are construed in relation to other groups: distinction A decision about a book to read, a picture to hang on the drawing room wall or of an occupation is shaped by one‘s habitus (Bourdieu, 1984) Habitus groups can be measured on the basis of these distinctions in taste 7

Influences on habitus  choice Symbolic violence “is the violence which is exercised upon a social agent with his or her complicity“. (Bourdieu & Wacquant, 1992, p. 167-8) Practical sense: Actions make sense because of our socially categorised thinking Reproduction: Maintenance of a system of power by means of the transmission of a culture  schools reproduce power Habitus Symbolic violence Repro-duction Illusio Practical sense Structure Agency

Conceptual tools Structuring Structure Habitus Arts Busi-ness Field Pop Arts Busi-ness Aca-demia Field Structuring Capital Practical sense Habitus Illusio Dispositions Taste / Choice Structure Symbolic violence History / Reproduction

Research: Habitus differences in preferred career choice 10

Measures of habitus Habitus is measured by examining cultural consumption Habitus is made visible by measuring oppositions  Correspondence analysis A relationship has been found between habitus and occupational thinking in previous research with adolescents

Research questions Do habitus groups form readily with 19 to 22 year olds in their final year of upper secondary education? How do the habitus groups relate to other social variables: gender, social class and place of living? Are there habitus differences in occupational perceptions? Are there habitus differences in choice of educational programme? Are preferred future occupations different according to habitus?

Research on habitus: Method Sample: N=534 (253 men and 281 women) in the last year of upper secondary education (aged 19-22; mean age: 21) Place of living: Urban 287 and rural 244 25 schools (6 educational programmes Data collection in 2006 Variables: leisure activities and future occupation Homogeneity analysis - Homals Correspondence analysis Factor analysis Cluster analysis

Measures of habitus Music items 44 Music instrument items 2 Reading items 19 Television items 24 Film items 38 Sport items 13 Sport activity items 3 Computers and internet 2 Total 145

Clusters: Habitus at the age of 19 to 22 1. Sports 2. Music 3. Light pop and fashion 4. Literature Listens to heavy rock, watches sports programs on TV, practices football and basketball. Avoids feminine activities and literature. All kinds of music with some emphasis on indie and alternative music. Reads fashion magazines, listens to “girly” music and listens to pop radio. Listens to Robbie Williams, Britney Spears and Pink. Aerobics and watches movies. Reads books with some emphasis on Icelandic traditional literature. Plays an instrument.

Results: Factor and cluster analysis

Homals: Habitus groups vs social variables

Preferred future occupation and habitus   -0.2 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 -0.8 -0.6 -0.4 Light pop/fashion Literature Music Sports architect social sciences medical sciences arts law education natural sciences literature psychology computer science engineering business administration

Conclusion Habitus groups form readily from leisure and cultural activities Similar to habitus groups in a younger age group. Habitus measures are validated in structural relations to other social variables. The habitus groups in both samples relate to occupational preferences. As well as occupational thinking and choice of educational programme

Discussion The relationship between choice of life style (habitus) and the powerful social system (fields) is in focus in this theory Habitus is a concept of great interest in explaining career phenomena, esp. the social aspects of career choice, occupational thinking and educational choice. Gives new theoretical perspectives on career choice research and practice

Danke schön gudvil@hi.is 21