A constant challenge for career guidance, and the theories which underpin it, is to account for social influences in individual choices and interests. This is highlighted by policy expectations that career guidance services will facilitate both education and labour markets, and promote social inclusion. How can we address the effects of social structures such as class, race and gender, particularly in contexts where policies for education, training and guidance place so much emphasis on individual agency? The concept of ‘habitus’, first developed by the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, is a deeply interesting one for both researchers and practitioners in this field to explore in relation to these issues, since it reveals the way that the social environment and its norms are embedded in people’s everyday thinking as a social subjectivity.

This talk introduced and explained Bourdieu’s theories in an accessible way, with a special focus on their relevance to guidance theory and practice. They were illustrated by findings from two studies, one with adolescents and one with young adults. The studies used these theories to explore how readily ‘habitus groups’ form among the participants, and how habitus influences their career preferences and occupational concepts. The presentation was concluded by giving examples of how the notion of habitus can be used in guidance, and discussing its further implications for practice.