Relationships Among Career Thoughts, Career Interests, and Career Decision State
Keywords:
career interest, career decision state, cognitive information processing theory, CIP, CTI, career thoughtsAbstract
This study investigated the relationships among negative career thoughts, profile elevation and differentiation scores on the Self-Directed Search, and career decision state, including level of decidedness and satisfaction with choice. Participants were 226 undergraduate students enrolled in a career course. Measures included the Career Thoughts Inventory (CTI) for career thoughts, the Self-Directed Search (SDS) for profile elevation and differentiation, the Occupational Alternatives Question (OAQ) for career decidedness, and the Satisfaction with Choice item for level of satisfaction with career choice. A series of multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine the amount of variance accounted for by negative career thoughts (i.e., decisionmaking confusion, commitment anxiety, and external conflict) in profile elevation, differentiation, career decidedness, and satisfaction with choice. Negative career thoughts were found to account for a significant amount of variance in profile elevation, career decidedness, and satisfaction with choice. Findings suggest the need to fully explore negative thinking that interferes with clients making effective career decisions.
References
Bullock, E. E., & Reardon, R. C. (2005). Using profile elevation to increase the usefulness of the SelfDirected Search and other inventories. The Career Development Quarterly, 54, 175-183.
Bullock, E. E., & Reardon, R. C. (2008). Interest profile elevation, big five personality traits, and secondary constructs on the Self-Directed Search: A replication and
extension. Journal of Career Assessment, 16, 326-338.
Costa, P. T., Jr., & McCrae, R. R. (1992). Revised NEO Personality Inventory. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.
Creed, P., Prideaux, L., & Patton, W. (2005). Antecedents and consequences of career decisional states in adolescence. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 67, 397-412.
Darcy, M., & Tracey, T. J.G. (2003). Integrating abilities and interest in career choice: Maximal versus typical assessment. Journal of Career Assessment, 11, 219-237.
Fuller, B. E., Holland, J. L., & Johnston, J. A. (1999). The relation of profile elevation in the Self-Directed Search to personality variables. Journal of Career Assessment, 7, 111-123.
Fuqua, D. R., & Hartman, B. W. (1983). Differential diagnosis and treatment of career indecision. The Personnel and Guidance Journal, 62, 27-29.
Gati, I., Krausz, M., & Osipow, S. H. (1996). A taxonomy of difficulties in career decision making. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 43, 510- 526.
Gottfredson, G. D., & Holland, J. L. (1996). Dictionary of Holland occupational codes (3rd ed.). Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
Gottfredson, G. D., & Jones, E. M. (1993). Psychological meaning of profile elevation in the Vocational Preference Inventory. Journal of Career Assessment, 1, 35-49.
Guay, F., Ratelle, C. F., Senecal, C.,
Larose, S., & Deschenes, A. (2006). Distinguishing developmental from chronic career indecision: Self-efficacy, autonomy, and social support. Journal of Career
Assessment, 14, 235-251.
Hirschi, A., & Lage, D. (2007). The relation of secondary students’ career choice readiness to a six-phase model of career decision making. Journal of Career Development, 34, 164-191.
Holland, J. L. (1994). The Self-Directed Search. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.
Holland, J. L. (1997). Making vocational choices: A theory of vocational personalities and work environments (3rd ed.). Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.
Holland, J. L., Fritzsche, B. A., & Powell, A. B. (1994). The Self-Directed Search technical manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.
Holland, J. L., Gottfredson, G. D., & Nafziger, D. H. (1975). Testing the validity of some theoretical signs of vocational decision-making ability. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 22, 411-422.
Holland, J. L., & Holland, J. E. (1977). Vocational indecision: More evidence and speculation. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 24, 404-415.
Holland, J. L., Johnston, J. A., & Asama, N. F. (1994). More evidence for the relationship between Holland’s personality types and personality variables. Journal of
Career Assessment, 2, 331-340.
Iachan, R. (1984). A family of differentiation indices. Psychometrika, 49, 217-222.
Jones, L. K. (1989). Measuring a three dimensional construct of career indecision among college students: A revision of the Vocational Decision Scale – The Career Decision Profile. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 36, 477-486.
Kleiman, T., Gati, I., Peterson, G., Sampson, J., Reardon, R., & Lenz, J. (2004). Dysfunctional thinking and difficulties in career decision making. Journal of Career Assessment, 12, 312-331.
Lehberger, P. (1989). Factors related to a congruent choice of a college major. Retrieved from http://libweb1.tosm.ttu.edu.
Lounsbury, J. W., Saudargas, R.A., & Gibson, L. W. (2004). An investigation of personality traits in relation to intention to withdraw from college. Journal of College Student Development, 45, 517-534.
Lucas, M., & Epperson, D. (1988). Personality types in vocationally undecided students. Journal of College Student Development, 29, 460-466.
Peterson, G. W., Sampson, J. P., Jr., & Reardon, R. C. (1991). Career development and services: A cognitive approach. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole Publishing Co.
Powell, D. F., & Luzzo, D. A. (1998). Evaluating factors associated with the career maturity of high school students. Career Development Quarterly, 47, 145-149.
Rayman, J., & Atanasoff, L. (1999). Holland’s theory and career intervention: The power of the hexagon. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 55, 114-126.
Reardon, R. C., & Lenz, J. G. (1998). The Self-Directed Search and related Holland career materials: A practitioner’s guide. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.
Reardon, R. C., & Lenz, J. G. (1999). Holland’s theory and career assessment. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 55, 102-113.
Reardon, R., & PAR Staff. (2001). SelfDirected Search Software Portfolio. (SDS_SPTM) for Windows [Computer software] Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.
Reed, C. A. (2006). The relationships among neuroticism, dysfunctional career thoughts, and coping strategies. (Doctoral dissertation, Florida State University, 2006). Dissertation Abstracts International, 66, 150A.
Sampson, J. P., Jr., Peterson, G. W., Lenz, J. G., Reardon, R. C., & Saunders, D. E. (1996a). Career Thoughts Inventory. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.
Sampson, J. P., Jr., Peterson, G. W., Lenz, J. G., Reardon, R. C., & Saunders, D. E. (1996b). Career Thoughts Inventory: Professional manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological
Assessment Resources.
Sampson, J. P., Jr., Peterson, G. W., Lenz, J. G., Reardon, R. C., & Saunders, D. E. (1996c). Career Thoughts Inventory workbook. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
Sampson, J. P., Jr., Reardon, R. C., Peterson, G. W., & Lenz, J. G. (2004). Career counseling and services: A cognitive approach. Pacific Grove, CA: Wadsworth- rooks/Cole.
Saunders, D. E., Peterson, G. W., Sampson, J. P., & Reardon, R. C. (2000). Relation of depression and dysfunctional career thinking to career indecision. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 56, 288-298.
Slaney, R.B. (1978). Expressed and inventoried vocational interests: A comparison of instruments. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 25, 520- 529.
Slaney, R. B. (1980). Expressed vocational choice and vocational indecision. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 27, 122-129.
Slaney, R. B., Stafford, M., & Russell, J. E. (1981). An investigation of different levels of agreement between expressed and inventoried vocational interests among college women. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 28, 221-228.
Spokane, A. R. & Cruza - Guet, M. C. (2005). Holland’s theory of personalities in work environments) In S.D. Brown & R.W. Lent (Eds.), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work (pp. 24-42). New York, NY: Wiley.
Spokane, A. R., Luchetta, E. J., & Richwine, M. H. (2002). Holland’s theory of personalities in work environments. In D. Brown (Ed.), Career choice and development
(4th ed.) (pp. 373-426). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Strohm, D. (2009). The impact of a cognitive information processing intervention on dysfunctional career thoughts and vocational identity in high school students. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section A. Humanities and Social Sciences, 69(12-A), 4645.
Swanson, J. L., & Hansen, J. C. (1986). A clarification of Holland’s construct of differentiation: The importance of score elevation. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 28, 163-173.
Tyler, L. E. (1969). The work of the counselor. (3rd ed.) New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Wright, L. K., Reardon, R. C., Peterson, G. W., & Osborn, D. S. (2000). The relationship among constructs in the Career Thoughts Inventory and the Self-Directed Search. Journal of Career Assessment, 8, 105-117.
Zener, T. B., & Schnuelle, L. (1972). An evaluation of the Self-Directed Search: A guide to educational and vocational planning. Center for Social Organization of Schools Report, Johns Hopkins University, 124, 50.
Zunker, V. G., & Osborn, D. S. (2005). Using assessment results for career development (7th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole-Thompson Learning
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
![](https://cannexus.ceric.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/CX25-Virtual-Large-Rectangle-Ad-EN.gif")
