On measuring the vocational interests of women.

Examined the structure of women's interests as shown by the SVIB, the Kuder Occupational Interest Survey, Holland's Vocational Preference Inventory, and the American College Testing Vocational Interest Profile. Analyses of the interrelationship of scales and of the interest patterns of women selecting various occupations support the similarity of the structure of women's interests to the structure previously found for men. It is suggested that this information be used to provide women with information about more and more diverse career options than are now commonly available. (27 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Choosing a norm group for counseling: Legislation, regulation, and nontraditional careers.

In the past 30 years, the number of women employed in the U.S. economy has grown dramatically. Unfortunately, occupational segregation by gender has continued, and women's earnings are still much smaller on the average than are men's earnings. This article examines the role of vocational counseling in the career exploration process of young people. It is argued that providing information to young people about their abilities and interests via same-sex and opposite-sex norms conveys more information than the use of norms based on an overall group and facilitates exploration of nontraditional careers. The use of separate-gender norms raises legal concerns; federal law and regulations related to the choice of a norm group for career counseling are reviewed. The experiences of one organization whose use of separate-gender norms was reviewed for compliance with federal statutes are summarized. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interpreting other-sex scores on the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory.

To promote understanding of other-sex scores on the new Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory, correlations between occupational scales common to both forms of the old Strong Vocational Interest Blank (SVIB) with "masculinity" of interests were studied in a sample of 116 female counseling clients. Differences in mean scores for scales appearing on both SVIB forms were highly related to the masculinity of interests of the people in those occupations, compared to others of the same sex. Recommendations are included for using Masculinity-Femininity scores to guide clients with high scores on occupational scales normed on the other sex. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The siren's call: Terror management and the threat of men's sexual attraction to women.

Why do sexually appealing women often attract derogation and aggression? According to terror management theory, women's sexual allure threatens to increase men's awareness of their corporeality and thus mortality. Accordingly, in Study 1 a subliminal mortality prime decreased men's but not women's attractiveness ratings of alluring women. In Study 2, mortality salience (MS) led men to downplay their sexual intent toward a sexy woman. In Study 3, MS decreased men's interest in a seductive but not a wholesome woman. In Study 4, MS decreased men's but not women's attraction to a sexy opposite-sex target. In Study 5, MS and a corporeal lust prime increased men's tolerance of aggression toward women. Discussion focuses on mortality concerns and male sexual ambivalence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Expressed and inventoried interests revisited: Perspicacity in the person.

Studied the relative validities of expressed choice vs inventoried interests for predicting college major and career choice outcomes. A total of 795 male National Merit Scholars in 16 college major categories and 609 male Scholars in 10 career fields provided data before college and 3 yrs later. The total percentage of accurate expressed choice predictions was over 50% for both outcomes, while the SVIB Men's Form (SVIB-M) was accurate for 30.8% of all college major predictions and 40.2% of all career field forecasts. When expressed choice and the SVIB agreed in prediction of outcome, the hit rate rose to over 70%. However, when expressed choice and SVIB predictions were not the same for a given person, expressed choice was found to be 2–3 times more accurate than the SVIB-M. These results highlight the importance of expressed interests in predicting vocational behavior and suggest ways in which expressed and inventoried interests might best be used in counseling. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality characteristics of adult women with low and high profiles on the SCII or SVIB occupational scales.

Investigated how women (aged 25 yrs and over) with low profiles (LP) on the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory (SCII) or SVIB female Occupational Scales differ from women who have high profiles (HP) with respect to measured personality characteristics (California Psychological Inventory [CPI]) and vocational needs (Minnesota Importance Questionnaire [MIQ]). 467 Ss for both SCII and SVIB groups, LP Ss differed from HP Ss on 35 CPI items and scored significantly lower on 9 CPI scales (e.g., Dominance, Capacity for Status, Sociability) and on 3 MIQ needs (Authority, Creativity, and Responsibility). LP and HP Ss differed significantly on 96 of the 110 SCII scales that are relevant to women and on 52 of the 85 female SVIB scales. At a response difference of at least 28%, 70 SCII and 61 SVIB items best separated LP and HP Ss. Compared with LP Ss, HP Ss liked activities that involved writing, public speaking, and leadership. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender composition and gender representation in local unions: Relationships between women's participation in local office and women's participation in local activities.

This study examined the influence of gender features of local union office (N?=?37) on women's and men's ratings to participate in local activities (N?=?414). Gender proportion in local office was indexed by gender composition (the relative proportion of women and men in local office) and by gender representation (the ratio of the proportion of women in local office to the proportion of local women). Women's ratings of their competence and opportunity to participate in local activities were higher in locals with a higher composition of women in office. Similarly, women's ratings of their opportunity and desire to participate were positively related to greater representation of women in office. In contrast, men's ratings were only slightly influenced by these local features but in some cases were negatively affected. The findings are discussed in terms of improving the proportion of women and men in office to enhance women's participation in local activities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of organization size on validity of Masculinity-Femininity score.

Apopulation of 195 pre-1944 male Stanford Graduate School of Business MBAs was analyzed for association between executive success criteria and scores on the Strong Vocational Interest Blank Masculinity-Femininity (SVIB MF) scale, controlling for size of employing organization (large N = 47, medium N = 105, and tiny N = 43). No significant correlations were found between the SVIB MF scores and pay, job interest, or career progress satisfaction. Correlations were significant (p     

Strong Vocational Interest Blank versus expressed vocational interests: A review.

Reviewed studies toward determining the relative merits of the SVIB vs. an expression of vocational interest. Topics included are (1) terminology, (2) correspondence between the SVIB and expressed interests, (3) reliability, (4) validity, (5) problems of experimental design, (6) conclusions, and (7) implications for counseling. (44 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Enduringness and change in creative personality and the prediction of occupational creativity

Participants in a longitudinal study of women's adult development were scored at midlife on the Occupational Creativity Scale (OCS), which draws on J. L. Holland's (1985) model of vocational environments in the assessment of participants' creative achievement. College measures of cognitive-affective style and career aspirations predicted OCS scores at age 52, and consistency of creative temperament (H. G. Gough, 1992), motivation, and overall attributes of creative personality were demonstrated with both self-report and observer data over several times of testing. However, there was change along with this enduringness: Large fluctuations in creative temperament over one period of life or another were common in individuals, and OCS scores were associated with an increase in level of effective functioning over 30 years.     

Self-efficacy as a mediator of investigative and realistic general occupational themes on the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory.

Studied the role of self-efficacy in mediating gender differences on Investigative and Realistic General Occupational Themes of the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory. Ss were 77 male and 71 female entering university freshmen. Canonical correlations identified a science/technical factor relating high Investigative and Realistic theme standard scores to high Investigative and Realistic theme efficacy ratings. Path analyses suggested a correlational structure wherein mathematics self-efficacy and high school mathematics preparation mediated gender differences on these themes. Implications for counselor interpretation of Investigative and Realistic General Occupational Themes were presented. The importance of integrating self-efficacy career development research and traditional self-concept vocational theory was emphasized. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Locus of control, consistency of vocational interest patterns, and academic achievement.

Administered the SVIB, the W. James I-E Scale, and the American College Testing Program Examination (ACT) to 356 male university freshmen. Ss were classified as internals or externals on locus of control and as consistents or inconsistents on vocational patterns based on J. Holland's classification schema for scales on the SVIB. ACT scores were used to control for ability. Internals had a significantly higher GPA than externals; consistents had a higher GPA than inconsistents, but no significant interaction effects between vocational interest patterns and locus of control were found. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of counselor gender and gender-role orientation on client career choice traditionality.

The purpose of this study was to test common assumptions about the effects of counselors' gender and gender-role orientation on clients' career choice traditionality. A sample of 240 career counseling clients (120 women and 120 men) were counseled by a male or female counselor, who were further classified as possessing a masculine, feminine, or androgynous gender-role orientation as determined by the Bem Sex-Role Inventory. The clients' career choice traditionality was measured on three occasions: during the counseling sessions, at the conclusion of counseling, and with respect to clients' actual career choices 6 months after completion of the counseling process. Results showed that counselor gender and gender-role orientation had no effects on any of the three measures of client career choice traditionality. Client gender emerged as the only significant determinant of client career choice traditionality. We discuss the implications of these findings for counseling research and practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Locus of control and college women's role expectations.

Hypothesized that college women's locus of control orientations would be related to their role expectations, with women with an external locus of control having lower aspirations, more conservative sex-role ideologies, and less involvement in career planning than women with an internal locus of control. 116 female college juniors and seniors completed a career expectation scale, the Adult Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External Control Scale (ANSIE), and an index of sympathy for women's liberation ideology. Regression analyses using ANSIE scores as the predictor variable supported the hypotheses. Compared to Ss with internal orientations, Ss with external orientations expected to have less commitment to their careers, to work for a smaller portion of their lives, and to feel more discomfort due to violating sex-role stereotypes. In addition, Ss with a more external orientation reported less career planning activity, less positive feelings about their future careers, and more conservative views on women's liberation ideology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A longitudinal study of who seeks counseling when.

Determined at what time the members of a university freshman class who sought counseling initiated their contacts with counselors. Over the 4-yr period 401 males and 319 females sought counseling. In general, the rate of initiation declined steeply over time, both by years and by quarters within years. An occasional reversal occurred for females. Characteristics of the Ss as related to time of initiating counseling were also studied, utilizing scores on the School and College Ability Test, Omnibus Personality Inventory, and SVIB, administered in freshman orientation. Neither male nor female Ss differed significantly in test results when time of counseling initiation was considered by the 4 academic quarters. By year, quarter by quarter, and by parts of quarters, the Omnibus Personality Inventory yielded significant results on some scales. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward a career psychology of women: What do we know? What do we need to know?

Reviews what is presently known in salient areas of theory, knowledge, attitudes, and techniques and outlines the various areas of expertise that should be required of those engaged in career counseling with women. Theories of career choice, career maturity, and achievement motivation are discussed, and socio-psychological information about women and the work world, sex bias in vocational interest inventories, and the reliability and relevance of career information about women are surveyed. Counselor biases and influences of client socialization reflect stereotypic attitudes limiting career choices by women. It is recommended that courses on the special needs of women be included in the training of career counselors and that counselors should actively encourage women to examine their positions and needs and to consider nontraditional careers. The goal of this is that career choice should reflect the client's optimal potential. (4 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological predictors of young adults' drinking behaviors.

Path analyses using data from 72 men and 78 women between 22 and 32 years of age compared two models linking personality (conflict resolution styles, intimacy maturity, and occupational identity status) and social roles (family and work status) to young adults' alcohol use. Poor conflict resolution skills and less adult work statuses best accounted for men's excessive drinking, and problems with intimacy best accounted for women's use of alcohol to alleviate emotional distress. In addition, poor conflict resolution skills partly mediated the effects of parents' drinking on sons' alcohol consumption. Occupational identity status and intimacy maturity correlated with men's use of drugs rather than men's alcohol use. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An empirical study of reentry women.

A number of the most common hypotheses regarding reentry women were empirically tested, by comparing 76 reentry working women with 78 career women, on a number of demographic and personality variables. We found that the reentry women did indeed exhibit some of the characteristics commonly ascribed to them. For example, they held lower-level jobs and received lower mean scores on the measures of assertiveness and autonomy than did the career women. However, they did not receive the low scores on the self-esteem measures and the dominance measure that other researchers had predicted, nor did they receive significantly higher scores than the career women on either the conflict or the need for achievement scales. Furthermore, we found that both the reentry women and the career women could be described as being rather sure of their abilities, achievement oriented, dominant, and stable. We then discuss the implications of these findings and the limitations of our study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)