The Sense of Vocation: A Study of Career and Life Development

Larry Cochran examines the meaning of a sense of vocation as it is lived over the course of a life. By studying more than twenty autobiographies of people who clearly had a mission in life, the author identifies commonalities and weaves them into a general story or plot. The common story involves a detailed description of four phases of life from childhood through old age. It illustrates how a significant form that unifies desire arises in youth, how individuals transform themselves to adopt a meaningful role in a drama, how a work of life develops, and how a sense of vocation culminates. Thus, the book is important as a descriptive answer to the question of what makes life meaningful. It provides a paradigm case of career at its best.

Larry Cochran is a Professor at University of British Columbia in the Department of Counseling Psychology.