Triarchic Model of Grit Dimensions as Predictors of Career Outcomes

Recent studies have emphasized the importance of applying positive psychological theories in the context of career development (Hull et al., 2020; Vela et al., 2015, 2019). However, limited research has been carried out on how specific positive personality traits might contribute to optimal career functioning. We addressed this gap by exploring the link of a triarchic model of grit dimensions (i.e., perseverance of effort, consistency of interests, and adaptability to situations) to career maturity, career decision-making self-efficacy, and career goal setting among Hong Kong Chinese secondary school students. Perseverance of effort positively predicted career goal setting and career decision-making self-efficacy. Consistency positively predicted career goal setting and career maturity. Adaptability to situations positively predicted career maturity, career decision-making self-efficacy, and career goal setting. Results point to the importance of designing school-based grit interventions to facilitate optimal career-related functioning.     

Parental Influence on Child Career Development in Mainland China: A Qualitative Study

Compared with adolescents and adults, there is little research that examines child career development and especially how parents might influence such development. This is especially true in Mainland China, where family life is highly valued. This study used interpretative phenomenological analysis to examine how Mainland Chinese parents influence the career development of their 5th‐grade children. Six superordinate themes were identified from both the children's and the parents' perspectives: responding to career curiosity, influence on career gender stereotypes, emphasizing the importance of education, encouraging independent career decision making, providing opportunities for career interest development, and mothers as career role models. Suggestions are offered for future career development learning programs and research.     

Constructing a Life That Works: Part 1, Blending Postmodern Family Therapy and Career Counseling

Postmodern approaches to career counseling are well suited to addressing the challenges a postindustrial world poses to career development and overall life design. In this, the 1st of 2 articles exploring theory and practice, the authors examine the differences between traditional trait and factor models of career counseling and postmodern approaches using life narratives and social constructionism. As career counselors and marriage and family therapists, the authors' approach to career development integrates the literature on postmodern family therapy with emerging narrative approaches to career counseling. The 2nd article (C. Campbell & M. Ungar, 2004) discusses 7 aspects of the authors' daily practice as postmodern career counselors.     

Annual Review: Practice and Research in Career Development and Counseling—1995

The author reviews and summarizes more than 200 articles related to career development issues that were published in 1995. The goals were to identify articles relevant to clinicians and to provide a comprehensive and coherent overview of the career development literature. The articles were reviewed and organized within seven areas: counselor-client relations, business and industry, university career centers, career development theories, gender differences, work and family issues, and cross-cultural issues. Implications for future research directions and for assisting clients with their career development challenges are discussed.     

The Past,Present, and Future of Career Counseling in Taiwan

The development of career counseling in Taiwan during the last 40 years suggests priorities for future development. Although many of the basic constructs of career counseling are used in Taiwan, cultural differences are also apparent. At the earliest stage of career development in Taiwan (1960–1980), career guidance was managed through vocational centers and government agencies. The focus was almost exclusively on school‐aged youth seeking employment. At the middle stage (1980–1990), the terms for career counseling were being translated into Chinese, and trained Career Counselors were returning from study abroad. The emphasis was primarily on educational systems. At the present stage (1990‐present), career counseling was provided to adults outside the school setting and corporations were organizing their own career counseling services. The future presents many conflicts between Western and Asian values, traditional or modern demands, and self or family interests. Technological advances in testing and information sciences provide opportunities and problems for career counselors.     

Contributions of Family Factors to Career Readiness: A Cross‐Cultural Comparison

The authors examined the contributions of perceived family intrusiveness to career decision‐making difficulties (CDMD) and the mediating effect of family orientation as a personality trait in different cultural settings. In Study 1, a web‐based survey of 1,563 Hong Kong college students showed that perceived family intrusiveness significantly contributed to CDMD. This relationship was mediated by the relational personality trait emphasizing family orientation. Study 2 compared this pattern of relationship between a Hong Kong sample of 392 college students and a U.S. sample of 367 college students. The mediation model was only supported in the Hong Kong sample. Specifically, although the contributions of family intrusiveness to CDMD were demonstrated across the 2 cultural settings, the significant influences of family orientation were only supported in the Hong Kong sample. Implications for career development and counseling with college students from different cultural backgrounds are discussed.     

Is There a Time for Everything? Attitudes Related to Women's Sequencing of Career and Family

Attitudes affecting career and family choices are examined in a sample of 203 US university business students, both male and female. 4 sequencing patterns were examined: the timing of marriage and career, simultaneously balancing career and family, the timing of career and children, and the choice of career with no children. Opinions were sought about women's careers before marriage, careers before children, the ability to balance children and career, and no children with a career. The results of the intercorrelation matrix analysis showed that age, marital status, and number of children were significantly correlated at a low level. Age and race were related to the belief that women should have careers before marriage. Gender is related to the beliefs about women's career before children, no children with a career, and the ability to balance a career and children. Multiple regression resulted in gender differences: women were significantly less likely to believe in no children with a career (t = 4.40, p 0.001). Women were also more likely to believe that career comes before having children (t = 2.15, p .05) and that women can successfully balance a career and children (t = 3.27, p .001). Race and attitudes were also significantly related to sequencing career and marriage (t = 2.64, p .01). The belief that women should establish their careers before marriage was more likely to occur among minorities, which was an unexpected finding. The implication is that men are more traditional in their beliefs about working women and marriage. Additional research is suggested on the examination of the relationship between race, nationality, and attitudes about the sequencing of career and marriage. An instrument that measures women's development and the factors influencing sequencing decisions at different career stages is needed. Questions remain unanswered about whether women desiring children choose less demanding careers, whether women's choice of career or employer is influenced by family considerations, and the relationship between husband's and wive's career ideals and their plans for children. The implications for counselors are that women need to be made aware of the options available and advantages and disadvantages for the sequencing of career and family. Conflict may occur with the spouse over sequencing choices. Additional counseling in various stages of a career is also important.     

Career Adaptability of Trauma Survivors: The Moderating Role of Posttraumatic Growth

Impaired functioning in occupational domains is a diagnostic characteristic of posttraumatic stress disorder, and yet the interactions between trauma and career remain understudied. This study examined the relationships between trauma symptoms, posttraumatic growth, and career adaptability in college students who identified as trauma survivors (N = 215). Results indicated that (a) trauma symptoms and posttraumatic growth were both significantly predictive of career adaptability and (b) posttraumatic growth moderated the relationship between trauma and career adaptability. The impact of demographic factors and implications for career counselors and counselor educators are also discussed.     

Trauma Symptoms: Relationship With Career Thoughts,Vocational Identity,and Developmental Work Personality

Knowledge of traumatic events and how trauma symptoms relate to social and psychological well‐being continues to grow. One aspect of an individual's functioning that may be affected by exposure to traumatic events is the ability of the individual to engage in career‐ and work‐related activities (D. H. Coursol, J. Lewis, & L. Garrity, 2001). The current study examines the relationship between trauma symptoms and the career development process of 131 college students. Results indicate a significant relationship between higher levels of trauma symptoms and higher levels of dysfunctional career thoughts and lower levels of work personality. Implications for career counselors are discussed.     

Sexual Orientation as a Factor in Career Development

As I reviewed the available case information on Allan, the concept of career development shaped my impressions of the client. “Career development is, for most people, a lifelong process of getting ready to choose, choosing, and typically, continuing to make choices from among the many occupations available in our society. Each person undertaking this process is influenced by a great number of factors, including family, personal values and aptitudes, and societal context” (Brown, Brooks, & Associates, 1990, p. xvii). As this statement suggests, career development is a holistic approach to counseling individuals. Each “factor” represents a piece of the puzzle that guides the individual through the process. Life-style issues (i.e., family, leisure, sexual orientation, personal values, societal context), as well as interests, work values, and skills are tightly interwoven within an individual's major or career choice.     

The Interdependent Family‐Centric Career: Career Perspective of the Overseas Chinese in Indonesia

This theoretical article presents an interdisciplinary approach to extend the scope of current career theories and their application to the overseas Chinese (OC) in Indonesia. Using an ecological model to analyze culture and an emic perspective, the article discusses several factors that affect careers of OC Indonesians. Factors such as culture, discrimination, subjective careers, Confucian values, and family business structure are discussed as variables that create a bounded career perspective. This conceptual view is used as a foundation to discuss the needs for future research and the development of a cross‐cultural career model that is applicable in bounded career environments.     

Social Capital and Residential Decision Making Among Rural and Nonrural College Graduates

Due to the low demand for highly educated workers in rural areas, high‐achieving rural students have been portrayed as having to pick between staying close to home and facing limited economic opportunities or leaving to pursue higher education and socioeconomic advancement. But what of those who want both—college degree and return to rural living? Comparing the experiences of rural graduates who returned to rural locales with those who out‐migrated and nonrural graduates across one predominantly rural state, this study explores how social capital matters in the residential decision‐making process. Proximity to work and family were the primary factors determining adult residence. Sense of place—but not attachment to a specific community—also mattered, especially for rural graduates. Family, school, and community social capital were more likely to play a role in career development for rural students, as career aspirations during adolescence followed by career‐driven college choices created pathways for rural return. Findings underscore the importance of analyzing rural return from a regional lens, as respondents reframed lifestyle elements researchers tend to portray as mutually exclusive—rural lifestyle, proximity to family, and professional career—as compatible by employing broad and flexible definitions of proximity and place.     

Career Salience Among Nigerian Dual-Career Women

This study investigated the factors that relate to the career salience of Nigerian dual-career women. Findings showed that neither family size nor level of education related to the women's career salience. The husbands' level of education did relate to the women's career salience. Positive self-image and higher family income were identified as the advantages, while nonegalitarianism was emphasized as the major drawback of the dual-career relationship.     

The Influences of Career Support and Sexual Identity on Sexual Minority Women's Career Aspirations

The authors examined the relationship between sexual identity, family/friend career support, and career aspirations in a sample of 381 sexual minority women. The results indicated that family career support and friend career support were positively related to career aspirations of sexual minority women. The results also indicated that the relationship between family career support and career aspirations depended on the level of negative sexual identity. The findings demonstrate the utility of social cognitive career theory (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994, 2002) with this particular population. Limitations and implications for further research and practice are discussed.     

Career Maturity Determinants: Individual Development,Social Context,and Historical Time

Two samples of 16- to 19-year-old adolescents from different contexts were compared. Whereas young East Germans had experienced an educational system that offered relatively little choice, West Germans had experienced more leeway. In 1991, youth from East Germany reported more career maturity than did same-aged adolescents from the West. Different variables predicted career maturity in the 2 groups. Whereas person-related variables predicted career maturity in both groups, family and peer contexts were relevant only among the West German youth. In 1996, when differences in social context had greatly diminished, these differences had disappeared. Results confirm the usefulness of a cross-cultural and contextual approach to career development.     

Questioning the Suitability of Traditional Self-Report Family Functioning Measures for Single-Parent Families with Young Children

Family functioning is a common interest of social science and health researchers. Most often, well-established self-report instruments are used to measure family functioning. Although these instruments have been used with families of diverse compositions, our experiences using one of the commonly used instruments, the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD), suggest that it is not appropriate for single-parent families with young children. In addition to describing the difficulties we encountered with the FAD, we discuss our experiences in relation to current research findings about the processes and effectiveness of family functioning in single-parent families. As well, we examine other frequently used self-report family functioning instruments, the results of which lead us to question the suitability of any of the commonly used self-report family functioning instruments for single-parent families with young children. We conclude by arguing for the development of family functioning instruments that are appropriate for diverse family structures and compositions.     

Private Pain,Public Choices: Influence of Problems in the Family of Origin on Career Choices Among a Cohort of MSW Students

This study draws on a survey of 126 graduate social work students from a large school of social work in the United States to investigate the impact of family problems on career choices. Sixty‐nine percent of the students indicated they had a family history of problems related to substance abuse (44%), psychopathology (43%), compulsive disorders (17%), and/or violence (35%). Students who report more indicators of psychopathology and violence were more likely to see their family history as influential in their career choice. These students were also more likely to select mental health/health as a practice area. However, no differences were found between students without a family history of problems and those who did not see their family history as influential. Students' history of family problems and their perceptions of its influence on career choice did not affect the likelihood of selecting a practice method. The authors discuss the implications of these findings and conclude with a series of recommendations for social work education.     

Family‐of‐Origin Influence on Career Thoughts

The family can exert an important influence on career decision making. This study investigated the impact of adaptability and cohesion in family‐of‐origin relationships on dysfunctional career thoughts in 269 college students (221 women, 48 men). The Career Thoughts Inventory and the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scales–IV were used to assess family dynamics and dysfunctional career thoughts. The study addressed the following research question: What is the impact of family cohesion and adaptability in the participant's family of origin on dysfunctional career thoughts, specifically decision‐making confusion, commitment anxiety, and external conflict? Results revealed that higher levels of family cohesion were associated with lower levels of decision‐making confusion, commitment anxiety, and external conflict and that higher levels of family adaptability were associated with lower levels of external conflict.     

Self-Esteem,Vocational Identity,and Career Salience in High School Students

This study used Super's (1980) life span career development theory to investigate the relations between self-esteem level, vocational identity, and career salience in high school students. Two hundred fifty-one students were randomly selected from junior classes in urban, suburban, rural, and vocational schools. Results indicated that high self-esteem students scored significantly higher than low self-esteem students on vocational identity and career salience (participation, commitment, and values expectations) in school and home or family roles, but they did not differ on work, community, or leisure roles. Implications for life span career counseling are discussed.     

Adolescent Career Development in Urban‐Residing Aboriginal Families in Canada

The purpose of this study was to understand how urban‐residing Aboriginal adolescent–parent dyads (n = 11) jointly constructed and acted on goals and strategies with their social supports (n = 17) to facilitate the adolescents' career development. A modified protocol following the qualitative action‐project method was used. A discrete joint project was identified for each family. These joint projects can be clustered into 3 joint career development projects: (a) navigating toward a safe future, (b) negotiating school continuance, and (c) intergenerational continuity through tradition of care. A 4th project emerging from the data was family survival. Family survival projects supplanted participants' efforts to engage in career development projects.