Holland Interest Themes

The Holland Occupational Themes or the Holland Codes (RIASEC) pertains to a theory of vocational and career choice, based on six themes identified and developed by American psychologist John L. Holland and was first introduced in the 1970’s.

Dr. Holland theorized that to have a career that is a good fit, one has to identify their personality characteristics and align them to their work environment. The idea is that if your personality characteristics are congruent with the elements in your work environment, one will be more satisfied and lead a happier life. Dr. Holland identified these six themes known as the RIASEC (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, Conventional).

The Holland Codes are based on six principles that form the fundamentals of the themes. . There are six principles that form the fundamentals of the Holland themes

  • The choice of a vocation is an expression of personality
  • Interest inventories are personality inventories
  • Vocational stereotypes have reliable and important psychological and sociological meanings
  • The members of a vocation have similar personalities and similar histories of personal development
  • Because people in a vocational group have similar personalities, they will respond to many situations and problems in similar ways, and they will create characteristic interpersonal environments
  • Vocational satisfaction, stability, and achievement depend on the congruence between one’s personality and the environment in which one works

(Holland, J. L. (1997). Making vocational choices: A theory of vocational personalities and work environments (3rd Edition ed.). Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.)

There are four basic assumptions when using the Holland Themes. The first is that most people fit into one of the six RIASEC themes and may have characteristics of one or more themes. The second belief is that environments also can fit into these six themes and will attract a certain type of person. Next is that individuals try to find careers that are compatible to their skill set, values, and interests and stay away from careers that clash with their values, interests and skill set. Lastly, a person’s conduct and actions will reflect the correlation between one’s personality and environment.

Based on these assumptions about people, interests and careers, the RIASEC is depicted as a hexagon. Each of the six themes are depicted. The RIASEC themes have become a cornerstone in career development and is commonly used on career assessments as a tool for career development.

EPICS has further divided the six Holland themes into personality and environment since an individual may express themselves a certain way but prefer to be in a different theme environment.