Riasec

Chapter 1 - Worldview

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Welcome to the Riasec page

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What you are good at, can become your passion

Based on the person-environment theory of John Holland. He posits that people and environments can be categorised using six types: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional, with a collective shorthand of RIASEC.

Invest enough effort and you may find that your work becomes your passion

It’s all very well reading about the benefits of having a passion or calling in life, but if you haven’t got one, where to find it? It’s a mistake to think that in a moment of revelation one will land in your lap, or simply occur to you through quiet contemplation – rather you

need to explore different activities and pursuits, and expose yourself the different challenges and needs confronting society. The extent to which individuals attain their desired level of work passion may have less to do with their actual jobs and more to do with their beliefs about how work passion is pursued.

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Core ideas

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Skills model

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	Factors	Description
R	Realistic	Realistic (Doers) People who like to work with "things". They tend to be "assertive and competitive, and are interested in activities requiring motor coordination, skill and strength". They approach problem solving "by doing something, rather than talking about it, or sitting and thinking about it". They also prefer "concrete approaches to problem solving, rather than abstract theory". Finally, their interests tend to focus on "scientific or mechanical rather than cultural and aesthetic areas".
I	Investigative	Investigative (Thinkers) People who prefer to work with "data." They like to "think and observe rather than act, to organize and understand information rather than to persuade". They also prefer "individual rather than people oriented activities.
A	Artistic	Artistic (Creators) People who like to work with "ideas and things". They tend to be "creative, open, inventive, original, perceptive, sensitive, independent and emotional". They rebel against "structure and rules", but enjoy "tasks involving people or physical skills". They tend to be more emotional than the other types.
S	Social	Social (Helpers) People who like to work with "people" and who "seem to satisfy their needs in teaching or helping situations". They tend to be "drawn more to seek close relationships with other people and are less apt to want to be really intellectual or physical".
E	Enterprising	Enterprising (Persuaders) People who like to work with "people and data". They tend to be "good talkers, and use this skill to lead or persuade others". They "also value reputation, power, money and status.
C	Conventional	Conventional (Organizers) People who prefer to work with "data" and who "like rules and regulations and emphasize self-control ... they like structure and order, and dislike unstructured or unclear work and interpersonal situations". They also "place value on reputation, power, or status".

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Deep dive

Of course, the list below is not exhaustive and is intended to give you direction in where your passion may lie.

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R: Realistic (Doers)

People who like to work with "things". They tend to be "assertive and competitive, and are interested in activities requiring motor coordination, skill and strength". They approach problem solving "by doing something, rather than talking about it, or sitting and thinking about it". They also prefer "concrete approaches to problem solving, rather than abstract theory". Finally, their interests tend to focus on "scientific or mechanical rather than cultural and aesthetic areas".