Masculinity, vocational interests, and career choice traditionality: Evidence for a fully mediated model.

The authors used structural equation modeling to test a theoretically based, fully mediated model in which masculine gender roles influence vocational interests that, in turn, influence the traditionality of career choice for men. The authors also tested a competing partially mediated model that included an additional direct effect of masculine gender roles on career choice traditionality. Participants were 212 male undergraduate and graduate students representing 51 different majors. Results indicated that the direct relation between masculine gender roles and career choice traditionality was nonsignificant; however, vocational interests mediated the relation between these variables, thus providing support for the fully mediated model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of career indecision on treatments exploring the vocational interests of college women.

180 undergraduate women at 1 of 3 levels of career indecision were randomly assigned to Vocational Card Sort treatment, Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory treatment, or no-treatment control. Outcome measures assessed vocational needs, vocational exploration, and satisfaction with career choice. The percentage of women who were employed in the expressed vocational choices chosen by the Ss was examined, and 2 methods of analyzing changes in the expressed choices were used. Results indicate some modest treatment effects. There was clearer support for the importance of career indecision in relation to the impact of the vocational interventions. (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relation of career indecision to career exploration with reentry women: A treatment and follow-up study.

61 career-decided and 60 career-undecided 30–68 yr old women reentering the job market were randomly assigned to a vocational card sort (VCS) treatment group, a VCS-plus-videotape treatment group, or a no-treatment control group to examine the relationship between career indecision and career exploration for reentry women. Career decidedness was measured by the My Vocational Situation scale. One-year follow-up questionnaires were collected from 102 Ss, and a variety of outcome measures were used, including a vocational needs questionnaire, a satisfaction opinionnaire, a satisfaction with career scale, and an occupational alternatives question. The percentage of Ss who were employed in their chosen occupations was examined. Results indicate that there were minimal treatment effects, supporting the salience of career indecision and its stability over time. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for career counseling. (56 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Career indecision types for rural adolescents from disadvantaged and nondisadvantaged backgrounds.

A cluster-analytic technique classified a group of 189 adolescents from rural areas according to career indecision type as measured by the Career Decision Scale. The resulting 3-cluster solution described types of career indecision experienced by adolescents in the early exploration stage. These clusters span a continuum that includes tentatively decided-crystallizing preferences, transitional indecision, and chronic indecision-impaired development. These types reflect the types and intensity of vocational tasks and situations typically encountered by individuals in early adolescence. Three demographic factors (gender, race, economic status) had no significant main or interaction effects on representation across these 3 indecision types. Results were interpreted on the basis of past studies on indecision types and career development theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of three theoretically derived variables in predicting career and academic behavior: Self-efficacy, interest congruence, and consequence thinking.

This study explored the differential contribution of three alternative theoretically based variables, self-efficacy, interest congruence, and consequence thinking, in explaining career-relevant behavior in students considering science and engineering fields. Results of multiple regression analyses indicated that self-efficacy was the most useful of the three in predicting grades and persistence in technical/scientific majors, both self-efficacy and congruence contributed to the prediction of range of perceived career options, and congruence alone offered significant incremental variance in explaining career indecision. The three theoretical variables were also interrelated. Implications for practice and the further evaluation of career theories are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex and career decision-making styles.

Reports 3 studies with 116 undergraduates, 717 high school students, and 116 undergraduates, respectively, testing the hypothesis of greater reliance on the "intuitive style" by females and on the "planning" style by males in making career decisions. Ss in Study 1 took the Vocational Rating Scale and the Assessment of Career Decision-Making. Ss in Study 2 took the Career Decision Making Questionnaire (CDMQ) which included the 2 measures in the 1st study. Ss in Study 3 took the CDMQ and the Work Values Inventory. There were no sex differences in the high school and college Ss for stage or style of decision making, vocational self-concept crystallization, or self-rated vocational decisiveness. The planning style was most highly associated with vocational decisiveness, the "choice" stage of choosing an occupation, and with stronger "super" work values, particularly management, security, and prestige. Differential career counseling for the sexes does not appear indicated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-efficacy in the prediction of academic performance and perceived career options.

Explored the relation of self-efficacy beliefs to educational–vocational choice and performance by assessing the extent to which efficacy beliefs, in concert with other relevant variables, predicted academic grades, persistence, and perceived career options in 105 undergraduates considering science and engineering fields. Ss participated in a career planning course on science and engineering fields. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that self-efficacy contributed significant unique variance to the prediction of grades, persistence, and range of perceived career options in technical/scientific fields. The 2 self-efficacy scales used were moderately intercorrelated but differentially related to previous academic performance; neither scale was significantly related to general self-esteem or career indecision. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Vocational self-concept crystallization and vocational indecision.

A. Korman (1966, 1967, 1970) and D. E. Super (1963) have developed theoretical models to explain the processes underlying the relationship between self-esteem and vocational decisional status. These models differ in their predictions regarding the vocational self-concept crystallization of high and low self-esteem persons. The relationship between vocational self-concept crystallization and global self-esteem (as measured by the Total Positive Scale of the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale) was investigated using 102 undergraduates as Ss. A significant difference was found for both sexes in the degree of crystallization across self-esteem levels, thereby supporting Super's model over Korman's. Support was found, however, for the basic assumption of Korman's model that high self-esteem individuals perceive themselves as competent, need-satisfying decision makers to a greater degree than low self-esteem individuals. The absence of any sex effects is discussed in relation to career development theories in general. (42 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Discriminant and predictive validity of academic self-concept, academic self-efficacy, and mathematics-specific self-efficacy.

This study examined whether global academic self-concept and academic self-efficacy beliefs that vary in domain specificity–globality represent distinct or common underlying dimensions. Participants were 205 university students who completed measures of academic self-concept, global academic self-efficacy, and domain-specific mathematics self-efficacy. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that each of the variables represented separate, though related, latent dimensions of self-perception. Self-efficacy and self-concept were also differentially useful in predicting relatively domain-specific versus global academic and vocational criteria. The implications of these findings for theory and practice related to academic achievement and career development are considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A canonical analysis of career choice crystallization and vocational maturity.

Whereas career development theory has proposed that the crystallization of career choices occurs as individuals resolve relevant career development tasks, the supporting empirical evidence has been inconclusive. To develop a clearer understanding of the nature of the career decision-making process, this study assessed the degree to which career choice crystallization is associated with vocationally mature attitudes, behavior, and knowledge. Measures of vocational maturity and career choice crystallization (which was defined by measures of career decidedness and commitment to career choice) were administered to 158 community college students (mean age?=?21.35). A canonical analysis was employed to identify the relationships between age, gender, career choice crystallization, and vocational maturity. The analysis yielded one significant canonical root, which indicated that most of the shared variance between these two sets of variables was contributed by the relationship between the career planning component of vocational maturity and the two career choice crystallization scales. These findings were related to theory, research, and practice in career development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counseling for indecisiveness: Problem-solving and anxiety-management training.

Evaluated counseling procedures for reducing anxious vocational indecision. 32 university students with this problem were identified and randomly assigned to 5 training conditions: anxiety management, problem solving, a combination of the 2, a placebo procedure, and a no-treatment condition. The same counselor group administered the treatment and placebo procedures. The experimental design consisted of pre- and postassessment of vocational, anxiety-related, and problem-solving variables. A combination of anxiety-management and problem-solving training resulted in significantly greater gains than either method alone with respect to vocational exploratory behavior, awareness of career plans, and problem-solving behavior. It is concluded that vocational indecision appears to be due to deficiencies in problem solving and execution of chosen alternatives. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relation of career indecision to changes in expressed vocational interests.

Examined the stability or changes in the expressed vocational interests of 98 undergraduate women over a 2-yr period. Interests were measured by the Vocational Preference Inventory and 2 career indecision scales, and changes were measured by questionnaire. Ss were divided into 3 groups: stable (69 Ss), changed (13 Ss), and undecided (16 Ss). Results show significant differences between groups on GPAs and on the vocational measures. Results further show that career indecision predicted changes in expressed vocational interests. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Expressed vocational choice and vocational indecision.

Equally divided 232 male and female college students into 4 groups based on their responses to the Occupational Alternatives Question. Groups were composed of Ss who had a 1st choice and no alternatives, a 1st choice plus alternatives, no 1st choice but alternatives, and neither a 1st choice nor alternatives. The hypothesis tested was that these groups would differ on dependent variables related to vocational decision making. No significant differences were found on socioeconomic status or on J. L. Holland's constructs of consistency, differentiation, or congruence with career choice. Significant group differences were found on congruence with college major, total number of Vocational Preference Inventory responses, and scales measuring satisfaction with college major and career choice. Significant differences were also found on 2 recent scales measuring vocational indecision; the Vocational Decision Making Difficulty Scale and the Career Decision Scale. Significant sex differences indicate that females were more congruent and satisfied with their college majors. Implications of the results for future research and vocational counseling are examined. (43 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attachment, Caregiving, and Altruism: Boosting Attachment Security Increases Compassion and Helping.

Recent studies based on J. Bowlby's (1969/1982) attachment theory reveal that both dispositional and experimentally enhanced attachment security facilitate cognitive openness and empathy, strengthen self-transcendent values, and foster tolerance of out-group members. Moreover, dispositional attachment security is associated with volunteering to help others in everyday life and to unselfish motives for volunteering. The present article reports 5 experiments, replicated in 2 countries (Israel and the United States), testing the hypothesis that increases in security (accomplished through both implicit and explicit priming techniques) foster compassion and altruistic behavior. The hypothesized effects were consistently obtained, and various alternative explanations were explored and ruled out. Dispositional attachment-related anxiety and avoidance adversely influenced compassion, personal distress, and altruistic behavior in theoretically predictable ways. As expected, attachment security provides a foundation for care-oriented feelings and caregiving behaviors, whereas various forms of insecurity suppress or interfere with compassionate caregiving. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multiple outcome evaluation of a life-career development course.

Examined the multiple effects of a life-career development course on 74 university students. The treatment was based on a comprehensive counseling model of "change agent career decision making." A modification of D. T. Campbell and J. C. Stanley's (1963) institutional cycle design and MANOVA was used for evaluating Ss' performance on 8 career inventories. The Ss were significantly more rational and less intuitive and dependent in their decision-making styles, more certain of their major and career choices, and more crystallized in their vocational self-concept. They also collected more career information and had fewer vocational identity problems as a result of the course. Inconsistent results were found with regard to the external locus of control and overcoming career barriers measures. The treatment did not seem to have an immediate impact on internal locus of control. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attachment, separation, and women's vocational development: A longitudinal analysis.

This study tested a proposed model investigating the relations among attachment to and separation from parents, career self-efficacy, and career aspiration over a 5-year period with a sample of 207 young women. Results suggested that being attached to parents may lead to the development of confidence in pursuing career-related tasks, which in turn influences career aspiration. Separation from parents did not have direct effects on career self-efficacy. Results also indicated that women's career plans changed over a 5-year period with young women selecting more traditional and less prestigious careers than those to which they aspired in their senior year of high school. In addition, these women chose careers that underutilized their abilities. Finally, this sample of young women intended to have both careers and families, and the majority of these women ranked family as more important than career. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting career indecision: A self-determination theory perspective.

The purpose of this study was to propose and test a model of career indecision based on self-determination theory (E. L. Deci & R. M. Ryan, 1985). This model posits that peer and parental styles predicted career indecision through perceived self-efficacy and autonomy. Participants were 834 college students (236 men, 581 women, 17 without gender identification). Results from structural equation modeling provided support for the proposed model and showed that the model was invariant across gender. Discussion centers on the theoretical and practical implications of the results. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Vengefully ever after: Destiny beliefs, state attachment anxiety, and forgiveness.

Two studies examined how destiny beliefs (that potential relationships are or are not "meant to be") interact with state attachment anxiety to predict forgiveness tendencies. In Study 1, participants experienced an experimental manipulation of attachment anxiety (vs. security) before indicating the degree to which they would forgive a series of hypothetical partner offenses. In Study 2, participants reported every 2 weeks for 6 months (14 waves in total) on offenses enacted by their partner and indicated the degree to which they forgave the partner, both concurrently and 2 weeks later. Consistent with predictions, results revealed Destiny Beliefs × State Attachment Anxiety interaction effects: Strong (relative to weak) destiny beliefs predicted reduced forgiveness tendencies for individuals experiencing state attachment anxiety, but such beliefs were not associated with forgiveness for individuals experiencing state attachment security. Results from Study 2 suggest that this interaction effect was significantly mediated through trust in the partner. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Loneliness, attachment, and the perception and use of social support in university students.

This study examined factors related to family, social, and romantic loneliness in 173 undergraduate students (66 males, 107 females). Participants completed measures of attachment style, perceived availability of social support, use of social support coping, and loneliness. Results indicated that participants with greater attachment security reported lower levels of all types of loneliness compared to those with less attachment security, and this was partially mediated by perceived social support but not the use of social support coping. When examining underlying attachment constructs, a more positive model of others was related to less family and social loneliness, and these associations were mediated by greater perceived social support. Model of others also was associated with less romantic loneliness and model of self was associated with less loneliness in all domains, and these relations were partially mediated by perceived social support. Findings are discussed with respect to possible interventions to increase students' perceptions of available social support and to decrease overall loneliness levels. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)