Visualization of latent components assessed in O*Net occupations (VOLCANO): A robust method for standardized conversion of occupational labels to ratio scale format

Occupations are typically characterized in nominal form, a format that limits options for hypothesis testing and data analysis. We drew upon ratings of knowledge, skills, and abilities for 966 occupations listed in the US Department of Labor's Occupational Classification Network (O*NET) database to create an accessible, standardized multidimensional space in which occupations can be quantitatively localized and compared. Principal component analysis revealed that the occupation space comprises three main dimensions that correspond to (1) the required amount of education and training, (2) the degree to which an occupation falls within a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) discipline versus social sciences and humanities, and (3) whether occupations are more mathematically or health related. Additional occupational spaces reflecting cognitive versus labor-oriented categories were created for finer-grained characterization of dimensions within occupational sets defined by higher or lower required educational preparation. Data-driven groupings of related occupations were obtained with hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). Proof-of-principle was demonstrated with a real-world dataset (470 participants from the Nathan Kline Institute - Rockland Sample; NKI-RS), whereby verbal and non-verbal abilities-as assessed by standardized testing-were related to the STEM versus social sciences and humanities dimension. Visualization of Latent Components Assessed in O*Net Occupations (VOLCANO) is provided to the research community as a freely accessible tool, along with a Shiny app for users to extract quantitative scores along the relevant dimensions. VOLCANO brings much-needed standardization to unwieldy occupational data. Moreover, it can be used to create new occupational spaces customized to specific research domains.

The impact of future work self on perceived employability and career distress

Future work self is a promising concept to understand how young people view and plan their careers in the contemporary workplace. In this study, we attempt to investigate its impacts on two career-related outcomes, namely, perceived employability and career distress. Informed by social cognitive career theory, we also explore the mediating role of career decision self-efficacy in the above relationships. Several hypotheses were developed and tested with a sample of 208 final-year undergraduate students (with a mean age of 21.5 and 145 of them are female) in China. The results of structural equation modeling and bootstrapping indicated that future work self has a positive relationship with perceived employability and a negative relationship with career distress, while these relationships are found to be mediated by career decision self-efficacy. Our study has advanced our understanding about how future work self contributes to career-related well-being among Chinese students.

The personality profile of IPS employment specialists, and how it relates to job satisfaction: A longitudinal cohort study

The role of the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) employment specialist is a new type of occupation within mental healthcare. High turnover among employment specialists necessitates improvement in their recruitment and retention. One element that impacts retention is job satisfaction. We assessed the personality of 38 employment specialists (Big 5 Inventory-2) and measured job satisfaction over three time periods. Compared to norm data, employment specialists were significantly higher on Extraversion (ΔT = 8.0, CI: 5.59-10.42), Agreeableness (ΔT = 7.8, CI: 5.56-10.12), Conscientiousness (ΔT = 3.3, CI: 0.8-5.84), Open-mindedness (ΔT = 3.5, CI: 0.97-6.07), while lower on Negative emotionality (ΔT = -3.5, CI: -6.5 to -0.42). Extraversion had a substantial longitudinal positive effect on job satisfaction (β at T1 = 0.39; CI: 0.10-0.73) (β at T2 = 0.40; CI: 0.03-0.80), while Negative emotionality - a substantial negative effect (β at T1 = -0.60; CI: -0.90 to -0.30) (β at T2 = -0.50; CI: -0.90 to -0.12). Male gender was significantly associated with higher job satisfaction at the time point 1 (β = -0.46; CI: -0.80 to -0.14). Age, length of employment in the role, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness and Open-mindedness were not found to have substantial significant effects on job satisfaction of employment specialists. Recruiting employment specialists who score high on Extraversion and low on Negative emotionality may be a good fit for the role and job satisfaction.

Attitudes Toward Robots as Equipment and Coworkers and the Impact of Robot Autonomy Level

Increasingly, people must interact with robot technologies. In this research, we examined attitudes toward robots as equipment and as coworkers and whether these attitudes are affected by the autonomy of the robot among participants living in the United States (Study 1: N = 1003; Study 2: N = 969). Study 1 revealed that respondents had a more positive attitude toward robots as equipment than as coworkers. Technology use self-efficacy and prior robot use experience were associated with more positive attitudes toward both robot positions. Having a degree in engineering or technology was associated with a positive attitude toward robot coworkers, while neuroticism was associated with a negative attitude. Additionally, technology use self-efficacy was found to have a significant indirect effect on the associations between openness and attitudes toward robots as well as conscientiousness and attitudes toward robots. In Study 2, a three-group online survey experiment showed that teleoperated robots and semi-autonomous robots were preferred as equipment over fully autonomous robots. The robots’ autonomy level did not impact attitude toward robot coworkers. Overall, the results suggest that people prefer non-autonomous robots over autonomous robots in the work-life context. The studies provide a comprehensive overview of attitudes toward robots as both equipment and coworkers, and the key predictors of the noted attitudes. The results suggest a readiness for shared autonomy between a human operator and a robot. This should be considered in the design and successful implementation of new robot technologies in workplaces.

Psychometric properties of the client activation self-efficacy and outcome expectation scales for nurses (CA-SE-n and CA-OE-n) and domestic support workers (CA-SE-d and CA-OE-d): A cross-sectional study

Self-efficacy and outcome expectations regarding client activation determine professionals' level of actively engaging clients during daily activities. The Client Activation Self-Efficacy and Outcome Expectation Scales for nurses and domestic support workers (DSWs) were developed to measure these concepts. This study aimed to assess their psychometric properties. Cross-sectional data from a sample of Dutch nurses (n=150) and DSWs (n=155) were analysed. Descriptive statistics were used to examine floor and ceiling effects. Construct validity was assessed by testing research-based hypotheses. Internal consistency was determined with Cronbach's alpha. The scales for nurses showed a ceiling effect. There were no floor or ceiling effects in the scales for domestic support workers. Three out of five hypotheses could be confirmed (construct validity). For all scales, Cronbach's alpha coefficients exceeded 0.70. In conclusion, all scales had moderate construct validity and high internal consistency. Further research is needed concerning their construct validity, test-retest reliability and sensitivity to change.

Openness to Experience Moderates the Association Between Problem-Solving Style and Negative Affect

Abstract. Everyday problem-solving situations can be approached on an independent or interdependent basis. The current article investigated the moderating effects of openness to experience and self-efficacy on the relation between an independent versus interdependent problem-solving style and negative affect (stress, anxiety, depression, and neuroticism). Australian university students ( Ns = 399, 186, 337, and 248) and international academic researchers ( N = 199) took part in research studies examining the relations between personality, problem-solving-style, and mental health. Openness to experience moderated the association between problem-solving style and negative affect in all five studies. When openness was low, independent problem-solvers reported greater negative emotionality compared to interdependent problem-solvers. Further, the moderating effect of openness to experience on trait-based negative affectivity (i.e., neuroticism) was mediated by state-based negative emotional experiences of anxiety and stress. The moderating effect of self-efficacy appraisals was only statistically significant on specific anxiety about solving problems. Openness to experience seems to help alleviate the negative mental consequences of independent problem-solvers. These findings have implications for clinical practice with regard to building a therapeutic relationship and retaining clients.

Career self-efficacy and education abroad: implications for future global workforce

Purpose

This study aims to explore how career self-efficacy shapes an individual’s career decisions and how learning and development interventions, including participation in education abroad, might play a role in career choice.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used the following databases to review the literature on career self-efficacy: Academic Search Premier, Education Resources Information Center and ProQuest. The following key search terms were used in the search: career self-efficacy, career choice and education abroad. The titles of the identified articles were first reviewed for relevance, followed by the abstract, before further review for inclusion suitability.

Findings

Findings suggest career self-efficacy plays a vital role in career decision-making, generating interests and deciding career goals. By improving career self-efficacy among college students, career interests can be reshaped. Findings evidence a relationship between education abroad and career competencies and career development.

Research limitations/implications

The review offers an invaluable pathway to breed ideas and thoughts about research in the career self-efficacy domain. While education abroad itself may be a useful intervention in the development of a student’s career self-efficacy, among other characteristics and skills, a further empirical study is necessary to determine the extent to which this is true. Using or creating an accurate scale for the measurement of career self-efficacy among undergraduate students is critical to determine a reliable and valid measure, as is controlling for potential differences in self-efficacy between students who self-select for high impact endeavors such as education abroad and those who do not.

Practical implications

Noting that practices in international education support collaboration between career services offices and study abroad offices, the authors point to the importance of interventions that intentionally and explicitly incorporate the career self-efficacy construct.

Originality/value

Findings evidence a relationship between education abroad and career competencies and career development, through research examining connections to career self-efficacy and education abroad is noticeably scarce. The paper explores the above relationship.

How Can Personality Enhance Sustainable Career Management? The Mediation Effects of Future Time Perspective in Career Decisions

This study seeks to explore the mediating effects of future time perspective (FTP) between personality variables and career decision-making self-efficacy and career indecision with respect to managing sustainable careers. We used an online survey to collect data from 250 undergraduates for Study 1, in which we explored the mediating role of FTP which focused on the emotional and cognitive personality traits of emotional intelligence, ego resilience, and self-control; and from 249 undergraduate students for Study 2, in which we investigated the mediating effects of FTP on the personality traits of extraversion, conscientiousness, and neuroticism. The results from the first study indicated that emotional intelligence, ego resilience, and self-control had indirect effects on career decision-making self-efficacy and career indecision via FTP. The results of the second study showed that extraversion, conscientiousness, and neuroticism had indirect effects on career decision self-efficacy and career indecision via FTP. These results contribute to an enhanced understanding of the relationship between personalities and career decisions, and they expand our knowledge about the antecedents and consequences of FTP. At the end of this paper, we discuss the theoretical and practical implications of this study and identify directions for future research.

An Application of the Social Cognitive Career Theory Model of Career Self-Management to College Athletes' Career Planning for Life After Sport

Drawing on Lent and Brown (2013) recently developed Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) model of Career Self-Management (CSM), we aimed to determine the key predictors and underlying theoretical mechanisms of college athletes' career planning processes for life after sport. Ten variables were operationalized (i.e., career planning for life after sport, career decision self-efficacy, career goals, perceived career planning support from coaches, perceived career planning barriers, conscientiousness, openness, extraversion, neuroticism, and agreeableness) to assess the hypothesized CSM model. A survey design was utilized on a sample of 538 NCAA Division I college athletes in the United States to test the model. The measurement and hypothesized models were tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The measurement model demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity for all measures. Several significant direct, indirect, and moderating relationships of the cognitive, contextual, and personality variables on career planning were observed. The CSM model was found to be a useful theoretical framework that explained 62.7% of the variance on career planning. The model, along with the validated measures that support it, can help both researchers and practitioners to leverage facilitating (i.e., self-efficacy, career goals, conscientiousness, openness, and extraversion) and impeding (i.e., career barriers) factors of the career planning processes in their work.

From School to Work: Improving Graduates’ Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy

As boundaryless careers become mainstream, individuals need to enhance career decision-making self-efficacy (CDSE) during career transitions to secure better employment outcomes and sustainable career development, especially when moving from a school to a work environment. Drawing on social cognitive career theory, this study empirically proposed a moderated mediation model to examine whether proactive personality (measured at Time 1), career success criteria clarity (CSCC, measured at Time 2), and family socioeconomic status (including family income, parents’ educational level, and parents’ occupational level; measured at Time 1) would contribute to CDSE (measured at Time 2). Results based on a two-wave survey of 235 college students showed that: (1) proactive personality positively predicted CDSE; (2) CSCC positively predicted CDSE; (3) CSCC partly mediated the relation between proactive personality and CDSE; (4) the positive effect of CSCC on CDSE was stronger among students with a lower family socioeconomic status. Individuals with strong proactive personalities were more likely to develop salience in career success criteria and in turn became more confident in making career decisions. Therefore, vocational educators in higher education could help to improve students’ CDSE by promoting training programs for proactive thinking, providing successful role models, and encouraging family involvement, especially for students with a lower family socioeconomic status.

A methodology for creating and validating psychological stories for conveying and measuring psychological traits

Personality impacts all areas of our lives; it governs who we are and how we react to life's challenges. Personalized systems that adapt to end users should take into account the user's personality to perform well. Several methodologies (e.g. User-as-Wizard, indirect studies) that use personality adaptation require first for personality to be conveyed to the participant; this has few validated approaches. Furthermore, measuring personality is often time consuming, prone to response bias (e.g. using questionnaires) or data intensive (e.g. using behaviour or text mining). This paper presents a methodology for creating and validating stories to convey psychological traits and for using such stories with a personality slider scale to measure these traits. We present the validation of the scale and evaluate its reliability. To evidence the validity of the methodology, we outline studies where the stories and scale have been effectively applied (in recommender systems, intelligent tutoring systems, and persuasive systems).

Approaches of School Administrators toward Teachers with Different Types of Human Nature: The Cyprus Case

This study seeks answers to the questions regarding the types of human nature that primary school teachers possess from the perspective of primary school administrators and what their approaches are toward teachers with different types of human nature. The study is prepared using a case study model with the qualitative method. “Scenario analysis” is used to obtain data, and eight different scenarios prepared within this context were presented to school administrators. In total, 25 administrators during the 2017–2018 scholar year were selected based on purposive sampling and were contacted accordingly. In terms of the conclusions of the study, it can be seen that school administrators defined self-actualizing teachers with social human nature using positive adjectives, while they had different opinions in regard to defining teachers with a rational-economic human nature, and they defined teachers with a complex human nature with negative adjectives. In terms of the findings related to the attitudes of administrators toward different human natures, it was found that there are some administrators who display positive administrative behaviors (appreciating, rewarding, respecting, motivating etc.) as well as administrators who display negative administrative behaviors (punishing, being indifferent to incidents, imposing by using legal powers, etc.).

Selbstwirksamkeitserwartung von Studierenden

Zusammenfassung. Im Fokus dieses Beitrags steht die Selbstwirksamkeitserwartung (SWE) von Psychologiestudierenden, beschrieben als subjektive Gewissheit Aufgaben der psychologischen Praxis erfolgreich bewältigen zu können. Im Hochschulkontext ist SWE der stärkste Prädiktor für Studien- und späteren Berufserfolg. Da bislang kein adäquates Strukturmodell der SWE von Psychologiestudierenden vorliegt, erfolgte die Entwicklung einer Selbstwirksamkeitserwartungs-Matrix (SWE-Matrix) mit 2 Facetten, welche zwischen Operationen (Auswahl / Bewertung, Konstruktion, Durchführung) und Inhalten (Diagnostik, Intervention, Forschung / Evaluation) unterscheidet. Darauf aufbauend wurde ein 18-Item-Fragebogen konstruiert, der die SWE polyvalent in Bachelor und Master sowie in den Anwendungsbereichen der Arbeits-‍, Organisations- und Wirtschaftspsychologie, Klinischen und Pädagogischen Psychologie mittels Vignettentechnik erfasst. Die Matrix-Struktur wurde an N = 1 242 Psychologiestudierenden konfirmatorisch geprüft und gegen alternative Modelle getestet. Es zeigen sich gute Modellfits, skalare Messinvarianz des Fragebogens über Studiengänge und Anwendungsbereiche sowie theoriekonforme Korrelationen der sechs Faktoren mit beruflicher SWE, akademischem Selbstkonzept und Neurotizismus. Erste Ergebnisse zeigen einen faktorspezifischen Anstieg der SWE im Studienverlauf und Übereinstimmungsvaliditäten mit Leistungsindikatoren und Berufserfahrungen.

Relation of Reinforcement Sensitivity on Vocational Interest and Self-Efficacy

Using the constructs of the behavioral activation system (BAS) and behavioral inhibition system (BIS), as defined by the reinforcement sensitivity theory of personality, the purpose of this study was to determine new linkages between personality traits and interest/self-efficacy across Holland’s hexagon. Specifically, it was proposed that (a) the BAS would positively relate to global liking of vocational interest and negatively relate to global disliking of interest; (b) the BAS would positively relate to enterprising interest and social/enterprising self-efficacy; and (c) the BIS would negatively relate to realistic interest and self-efficacy in a sample of 265 college students. The hypotheses were mostly supported. The BAS was found to be meaningfully positively related to (a) global liking of vocational activities, (b) enterprising interest, and (c) social and enterprising self-efficacy. The BIS was found to be meaningfully negatively related to realistic interest but not realistic self-efficacy. Limitations, implications, and future research are discussed.

Leadership Intentions of Young Women

The underrepresentation of women in leadership positions is a nagging problem in American society. Young women’s leadership intentions drive them to assume leadership opportunities despite barriers. The role of one particular personality trait most identified with leadership, namely, social potency, was examined in directly and indirectly predicting leadership intentions. 124 female college students were sampled. As hypothesized, social potency directly predicted leadership self-efficacy, leadership interest, and one of the two indicators of leadership intentions. Moreover, social potency indirectly predicted leadership intentions through leadership self-efficacy. A bootstrap procedure yielded significant indirect effects of social potency on leadership self-efficacy, leadership interest, and leadership intentions.

Career Self-Efficacy: Exemplary Recent Research and Emerging Directions

This article discusses what the author views as exemplary work illustrating important directions in research on the applications of Bandura's self-efficacy theory to career theory, assessment, and counseling. The author begins with research on measuring career self-efficacy, following which research testing the postulated behavioral consequences of career self-efficacy expectations is discussed. Notable studies of the learning experiences postulated to lead to the development of strong expectations of efficacy are reviewed. Studies of the possible relationships of efficacy expectations to parallel measures of vocational interests are included. Finally, exemplary studies applying the theory to the career development of diverse groups, studies of interventions designed to increase career self-efficacy, and new research attempting to integrate self-efficacy theory with personality constructs are included. The article is not intended as a comprehensive review of this research but rather to provide highlights of some of the excellent work being done in this area.

Personality predictors of successful development: toddler temperament and adolescent personality traits predict well-being and career stability in middle adulthood

The aim of the study was to predict both adaptive psychological functioning (well-being) and adaptive social functioning (career stability) in middle adulthood based on behaviors observed in toddlerhood and personality traits measured in adolescence. 83 people participated in an ongoing longitudinal study started in 1961 (58% women). Based on children’s behavior in toddlerhood, three temperamental dimensions were identified – positive affectivity, negative affectivity and disinhibition. In adolescence, extraversion and neuroticism were measured at the age of 16 years. Various aspects of well-being were used as indicators of adaptive psychological functioning in adulthood: life satisfaction, self-esteem and self-efficacy. Career stability was used as an indicator of adaptive social functioning. Job careers of respondents were characterized as stable, unstable or changeable. Extraversion measured at the age of 16 proved to be the best predictor of well-being indicators; in case of self-efficacy it was also childhood disinhibition. Extraversion in adolescence, childhood disinhibition and negative affectivity predicted career stability. Findings are discussed in the context of a theoretical framework of higher order factors of the Big Five personality constructs, stability and plasticity.

Hardiness, Perceived Employability, and Career Decision Self-Efficacy Among Taiwanese College Students

Past empirical evidence has demonstrated that personality traits predict career decision self-efficacy. This study extends previous research by proposing and testing a model that examines the mediating roles of perceived internal and external employability on the relationship between personality hardiness and career decision self-efficacy. Using survey data collected from a sample of 220 college students in Taiwan, a hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted to test the hypotheses. The results showed that perceived internal employability partially mediated the relationship between hardiness and career decision self-efficacy, but perceived external employability did not. Implications for career counseling and suggestions for future research are discussed.

A Psychometric Evaluation of the Career Decision Self-Efficacy Scale–Short Form With Turkish University Students

The current study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Career Decision Self-Efficacy scale–Short Form (CDSES-SF) in a sample of 695 Turkish university students. Accordingly, internal reliability, test–retest reliability, convergent validity, and factor structure of the CDSES-SF were examined. The results indicated high internal and test–retest reliability for total scores. The evidence for the convergent validity was provided by a relatively high correlation between career decision-making self-efficacy and general self-efficacy. To estimate the factor structure of the scale, Betz, Klein, and Taylor’s five-factor model of the CDSES-SF, along with a number of empirically derived measurement models of the CDSES-SF were tested via confirmatory factor analyses. Only Gaudron’s four-factor model exhibited good model fit for the Turkish sample. The findings of this study are discussed in accordance with previous studies and the current cultural context of Turkey.

The relationship of career decision self-efficacy, trait anxiety, and affectivity among undergraduate students

This study examined the relationship between career decision self-efficacy and personal-emotional life, including trait anxiety and positive and negative affect in a sample of 249 undergraduate students. Turkish versions of career decision self-efficacy scale-short form, positive and negative affect schedule, and trait anxiety inventory were administrated. Higher career decision self-efficacy was associated with higher positive affectivity and lower trait anxiety and negative affectivity. Trait anxiety and positive affect were the significant predictors of career decision self-efficacy. Implications for career counseling and ideas for future research were discussed.

Autoeficácia e personalidade no planejamento de carreira de universitários

O presente estudo teve como objetivo principal avaliar as relações da personalidade e da Autoeficácia Profissional com o comportamento de planejamento de carreira de universitários. Participaram do estudo 213 alunos de graduação, de ambos os sexos, com idade média de 24,8 anos (dp=4,14). Os instrumentos utilizados foram um Questionário Sociodemográfico, as Escalas de Desenvolvimento de Carreira de Universitários e a Bateria Fatorial de Personalidade. Para a análise dos dados, foram realizadas correlações de Pearson e análises de regressão. Os resultados indicaram que a Autoeficácia Profissional e os fatores de personalidade desempenharam papéis específicos na predição do Planejamento de Carreira. A Autoeficácia Profissional esteve positivamente correlacionada com o Planejamento de Carreira. Ainda, o Neuroticismo (correlação negativa), a Extroversão e a Realização mostraram-se significativamente correlacionados com essa variável. Discute-se sobre a importância de se considerarem as diferenças individuais e de se promoverem a autoeficácia no contexto de aconselhamento de carreira.

The Dimensionality of the Career Decision Self-Efficacy Scale–Short Form Among Chinese Graduate Students

The factorial structure of the Career Decision Self-Efficacy Scale–Short Form (CDSES-SF) was examined in a sample of 796 Chinese graduate students recruited from five universities in Beijing. A single-factor model is recommended on the basis of two of this study’s findings. First, confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the parsimonious single-factor model fit the data well as the competing multi-factor models did. Second, the original theoretical factors of the CDSES-SF were found to be highly homogeneous and to fail to demonstrate the necessary incremental validity over and beyond the total score. Consistent with the previous studies, the CDSES-SF was found to have sound internal consistency (α = .91). The implications of the current study are discussed.

Five-Factor Model of Personality, Work Behavior Self-Efficacy, and Length of Prior Employment for Individuals With Disabilities

With the continued lower employment rate for persons with disabilities, researchers are focusing more on barriers to employment that reach beyond functional impairment. Personality and self-efficacy have consistently been important factors when considering employment outcomes for persons without disability; less is known about these factors as they relate to job tenure in samples of people with disabilities. A sample of 56 individuals eligible for vocational rehabilitation services was used to investigate the relationship among personality, work behavior efficacy, and length of prior employment. Results of this study revealed that work behavior efficacy and personality are related to length of prior employment. Personality was found to account for a significant amount of variance in work behavior efficacy, and personality was a stronger predictor of length of prior employment over work behavior efficacy. Specifically, the personality trait openness significantly contributed to length of prior employment, and openness and neuroticism significantly contributed to length of prior employment among persons with low education. A discussion of the dynamic nature of personality as it relates to persons with disabilities and employment is included.

Acculturation, Enculturation, Ethnic Identity, and Conscientiousness as Predictors of Latino Boys’ and Girls’ Career Decision Self-Efficacy

This study examined the role of culture and personality on the career decision self-efficacy of 338 Latino seventh-grade public middle school students. Specifically, we examined the role of acculturation, enculturation, ethnic identity, and conscientiousness on career decision self-efficacy. Findings indicated Latina girls were more acculturated and enculturated than Latino boys. For Latino boys and Latina girls, respectively, 34% and 25% of the variance in career decision self-efficacy was accounted for by the predictors. Acculturation, ethnic identity, and conscientiousness significantly predicted career decision self-efficacy for girls. For boys, however, only ethnic identity and conscientiousness were unique significant predictors. As expected, enculturation did not significantly predict career decision self-efficacy for either boys or girls. An interaction effect between acculturation and enculturation did not significantly predict career decision self-efficacy for boys or girls. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Relationships of the Big Five Personality Domains and Facets to Dimensions of the Healthy Personality

This study was designed to compare a new inventory measuring concepts of the ‘‘healthy personality’’ with the most widely used inventory of the Big Five personality traits, the NEO personality inventory—Revised (NEO-PI-R). Using adjectives as the stimulus materials, Borgen and Betz (2008) developed a 17-scale inventory called the Healthy personality inventory (HPI), where the 17 dimensions of personality were organized into five broader personality styles. Overall, the results of this study suggest strong correspondences of HPI productivity styles with Neuroticism-Extroversion-Openness (NEO) conscientiousness, HPI interpersonal styles with NEO Extraversion, and HPI intrapersonal styles with NEO Neuroticism. The NEO Openness and Agreeableness dimensions mapped less clearly on the NEO. The relationships of these findings to the wealth of previous data on the correlates of Big Five personality traits are discussed, as are the advantages of using a personality inventory with more positively oriented concepts and scale names. The authors suggest that a personality inventory based on positive psychology may facilitate the growing area of research on the relationships of personality to career variables.

Vocational Interests and Career Goals: Development and Relations to Personality in Middle Adolescence

Cross-sectional research implies a close relation of vocation interests, goals, and traits, yet little is known about their reciprocal development over time. This longitudinal study examined development of Things/People (T/P) and Data/Ideas (D/I) vocational interests and career goals in relation to Big Five personality traits among 292 Swiss adolescents with a cross-lagged panel design with two measurement points over 1 year from seventh to eighth grade. Interests and goals were significantly related within time and showed significant interactions across time. Traits related significantly and equally to interests and goals within time and predicted their development across time except for T/P goals. Goals and interests possessed incremental validity above traits in affecting each other. Implications include the need to account for dynamic processes in the development of goals and interests and their systematic relation to traits in theory and practice.

Domain Specific vs Domain General: Implications for Dynamic Assessment

The article responds to the need for evidence-based dynamic assessment. The article is divided into two sections: In Part 1 we examine the scientific answer to the question of how far human mental activities and capabilities are domain general (DG) I domain specific (DS). A highly complex answer emerges from the literature review of domains such as intelligence, traits, emotions and working memory. Thus, for each domain we must base ourselves on the research findings in order to decide how far a domain can be generalized. In Part 2, the conclusions of Part 1 are applied to the field of dynamic assessment (DA). The main conclusion is that assessors tend to over-generalize and generate incorrect rules having relied on the premise that DG is the rule, even though the research literature shows the relationship to be complex. Several solutions to over-generalization are proposed: (A) Replace the concept of “domain” with “task”, (B) Establish a relationship between tasks and concepts as part of a theory of mind, (C) Preserve the principle that the burden of proof of generalizibility of dynamic assessment findings rests with the assessor in fact, (D). Make the dynamic assessor the case manager, (E) Base selection and construction of assessment tasks on four principles: (1) Theory-based tasks, (2) Tasks excelled in by the child assessed, (3) Tasks using standardized instruments, (4) Curriculum-based tasks which the assessed child failed the assessment. Although the solutions demand substantial change from dynamic assessors, the moral and ethical implications of flawed dynamic assessment mean that we must try to change them.

Social-Cognitive Factors Affecting Clients’ Career and Life Satisfaction After Counseling

This study examines factors affecting clients’ career and life satisfaction in the first 6 months after having participated in career counseling. In particular, we tested a large subset of the recent social-cognitive model of work satisfaction of Lent and Brown using a longitudinal data set of 195 former counseling clients. Our results showed that clients’ goal self-efficacy at the end of the career counseling had a positive impact on their career satisfaction 6 months later. This relationship was fully mediated by external barriers, goal progress, and subsequent goal self-efficacy. The level of career satisfaction 6 months after the counseling was in turn positively related with clients’ life satisfaction. Also personality traits had an influence on clients’ career and life satisfaction, though only indirectly via goal self-efficacy.

Career Self-Efficacy and Personality: Linking Career Confidence and the Healthy Personality

This article extends recent work on the relationship between personality and career self-efficacy by examining relationships across two new inventories with scales for identifying human strengths. The Healthy Personality Inventory (HPI) has 17 content scales tapping an array of positive personality measures. The CAPA Confidence Inventory (CCI) has 6 broad, 27 basic, and 6 engagement styles measures of career self-efficacy. In a sample of college students, hypothesized correlations between personality and self-efficacy were generally confirmed. A number of unexpected relationships also were found, such as the HPI Creative scale predicting social and enterprising confidence. These inventories show promise for continued research, theory development, and assessment practice.