An Investigation, Through Narrative Oriented Inquiry, Into the Relationship Between Career Aspirations and the Development of Career Identity of Trained Dancers Pursuing a Portfolio Career Path / Denise Horsley (2020)

Negative discourses of research continue to frame the portfolio career path as the “default” position for trained dancers who aspire to performance careers but instead become “enforced entrepreneurs” within this domain (Bennett, 2008, 2009; Crampton, 2005; Bennett & Bridgstock, 2015). OBJECTIVE: To investigate this dichotomy through building greater understanding of the relationship between career aspirations and the development of one’s career identity across a portfolio path. METHODS: Six female and four male participants, aged between 24 and 61 years, with portfolio career paths ranging from 2 to 28 years in duration (M = 13.2, SD ± 7.11), took part in semi-structured interviews in which they were invited to tell the story of their career. Narrative Oriented Inquiry (NOI: Hiles & Cermak, 2008) was employed as the main methodology. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that the portfolio career path is an active choice which facilitates performance aspirations without precluding other activities. Evidence that career identity stems from aspirations is presented, and aspirations are identified as crucial for Moratorium (exploration) and Achievement of career identity. The absence of intrinsically motivated aspirations appears to contribute towards a Foreclosed approach to the development of career identity (Marcia, 1966). A tendency for career aspirations to shift, from concerns of self to that of others, extrinsic to intrinsic, to ethical concerns of giving back to society are observed, driving shifts in career identity. Redemptive life narratives are common (McAdams, 2006), but aspects of original aspirations endure. Career identity emerges as both structure and process, marking a shift away from identifying with particular job roles, in keeping with the context of the gig economy.