John L. Holland
| John Lewis Holland | |
|---|---|
| Born |
October 21, 1919 Omaha, Nebraska |
| Died | November 27, 2008 (aged 89) Baltimore, Maryland |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Ph.D. Psychology, University of Minnesota (1952) B.A. Psychology, University of Nebraska at Omaha (1942) Omaha Central High School (1938) |
| Occupation | Psychologist, Researcher |
| Employer | Johns Hopkins University (1969-1980) |
| Known for | The Holland Codes (Creator) |
| Notable work |
Making Vocational Choices: A Theory of Careers The Self Directed Search The Dictionary of Holland Occupational Codes |
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, otherwise known as The Holland Codes.
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.
While [a doctoral student in psychology at the University of Minnesota Holland's] research (Holland, 1952) focused on the ability of artists’ scores on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory to predict others’ ratings of their artistic works. Holland (1999) described this research as having prompted his belief that personality is expressed in varied ways. While at the University of Minnesota, Holland studied under [John G. Darley], who exposed him to research on interests (Holland, 1999), and he spent 4 years in vocational counseling practica. Once Holland concluded that personality is linked with important individual difference constructs, and once he had been exposed to vocational assessment, it was then not a stretch for the idea to emerge that personality and vocational interests are closely intertwined ... Given its tradition of “dust bowl empiricism” that eschewed theory in favor of data, the University of Minnesota might have been an unlikely place for the seeds of a theory of vocational types to have been sown, but Holland credited a philosophy of science course taught by Herbert Feigl as having stimulated his appreciation for theory (American Psychological Association, 1995).
Holland graduated from Central High, Omaha, Nebraska in 1938 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." After leaving the army, he entered a doctoral program in Psychology at the University of Minnesota, receiving his Masters in 1947 and Ph.D. in 1952.
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