ABSTRACT This study employed summative content analysis to examine the representation and thematic focus of articles addressing Black men and boys’ career counseling, development, and employment experiences in The Career Development Quarterly over a 46‐year period (1980–2025). Of 26 articles referencing “Black” and/or “African Americans,” only four focused exclusively on Black men and boys. These articles highlight the intersection of race, gender, and career development and emphasize culturally responsive approaches to career counseling across the lifespan. Findings reveal substantial underrepresentation of Black men and boys in the literature and a significant gap in research addressing their career counseling and development needs across the life course. The study concludes with implications for practice, policy, and future research.
Career decision-making ability in adolescence plays a crucial role in future career development. We proposed a moderated mediation model to explore how parental support, interference, and lack of engagement influence career decision-making difficulties among high school students, testing the mediating role of career decision-making self-efficacy and the moderating role of resilience. Data from 1592 high school students in China were collected. Results showed that parental support negatively predicted career decision-making difficulties, whereas interference and lack of engagement positively predicted them. Career self-efficacy partially mediates the effects of parental support on career decision-making difficulties, but not interference and lack of engagement. The higher the level of resilience, the stronger the positive effect of parental support on students' career self-efficacy. However, under conditions of high resilience, lack of engagement exerts a significant negative impact on career self-efficacy. In contrast, when resilience is low, it does not significantly affect students' career self-efficacy.
Career theorists advocate for integrating creative interventions into career practice, and research supports this, with evidenced client benefits such as greater introspection and self-knowledge. However, empirical studies on the integration of these approaches remain limited. To better understand practitioners' perspectives, we surveyed 129 career practitioners regarding their intentionality to use visual arts-based approaches in their work. Survey items were informed by constructs from the theory of planned behavior and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology. Multiple regression results indicated theoretical variables of perceived behavioral control and subjective norms from TPB and performance expectation and effort expectation from the UTAUT to significantly predict intentionality. Openness to experience was the only personality trait associated with intentionality. The findings have implications for training, particularly in developing practitioner knowledge, skills, and ethical competence related to the use of creative visual arts-based approaches in career practice.
Adolescents' career expectations play a pivotal role in shaping identity and future opportunities, yet little is known about how national-level comparisons influence these expectations. Drawing on social comparison theory, this study examines how relative standing in science achievement, socioeconomic status (SES), and math self-efficacy is related to expectations for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. Using PISA 2022 data from over 560,000 students across 72 economies, multilevel generalized linear models revealed more assimilation effects at the school level and more contrast effects at the country level, with distinct gendered and domain-specific patterns. Girls' STEM expectations were more strongly associated with academic comparisons, while boys' expectations were more closely related to SES. Within STEM, information and communications technology careers required broad comparative advantages, whereas science, engineering, and health careers showed mixed gender patterns. Findings highlight that adolescents calibrate career expectations not only against local peers but also against national standards, underscoring the need for career guidance and education policies to reduce SES barriers and gender inequities in STEM.
Guided by the social cognitive model of career self-management (CSM), this study investigated the relationships among mentoring support, career self-efficacy, and career engagement among 357 first-generation college students (FGCS), primarily from racially and ethnically minoritized backgrounds. Structural equation modeling revealed that mentoring support had a significant positive effect on career engagement, both directly and indirectly through career self-efficacy. These findings provide empirical evidence for applying the CSM model to this understudied student population and offer implications for research and practice to promote FGCS' career development through strategies targeting mentoring and self-efficacy.
This study analyzes the evolution of clients' narrative transformation in career construction counseling. The intervention was administered to 19 participants, and its effects were assessed using standardized measures of vocational certainty, vocational identity, career decision-making ability, and psychological distress. Participants' narrative change was assessed using the Innovative Moments Coding System. Results indicated that the intervention was effective, yielding significant improvements in vocational certainty and identity, as well as a reduction in psychological distress. Although interindividual variability was observed, the findings replicate the previously established pattern of narrative change characterized by a gradual accumulation of narrative innovations that evolves toward increasing levels of narrative complexity. Additionally, the results provide further evidence that narrative innovations of a lower level of complexity play a central role in facilitating the good outcomes of counseling. The implications of these findings for both future research and vocational practice are discussed.
This study examined the career development of Brazilian undergraduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields through the lens of the psychology of working theory (PWT), focusing on career barriers, volition, social support, and future decent work. The sample comprised 489 students from public institutions who were predominantly young, male, and economically dependent. Findings indicated that career barriers negatively predicted volition and future decent work, while the latter was positively associated with satisfaction with the academic major. Volition functioned as a mediator between barriers and decent work. Different sources of social support exerted specific moderating effects: family support softened the negative impact of barriers on volition, whereas support from significant others mitigated the effect of barriers on decent work. The results reinforce the applicability of the PWT to the Brazilian context and reveal that, even in fields considered promising, students experience vulnerabilities that affect their career trajectories.
Drawing on the social cognitive model of career self-management, the present study examines the relationships among decisional support, learning experiences (i.e., mastery experiences, verbal persuasion, vicarious learning, positive emotions, and negative emotions), self-efficacy, and outcome expectations in relation to career exploration and decision-making. Employing a sample of 349 Turkish undergraduate students, path analysis results showed that decisional support positively predicted mastery experiences, verbal persuasion, vicarious learning, and positive emotions and negatively predicted negative emotions. Mastery experiences and positive emotions positively predicted self-efficacy, whereas learning experiences did not predict outcome expectations. Self-efficacy positively predicted outcome expectations. Decisional support did not predict self-efficacy or outcome expectations. The results contribute to the growing literature on learning experiences in career exploration and decision-making. Implications and limitations are presented.
An area of life that is profoundly impacted by anti-Black racism is the world of work. Black Americans face persistent barriers from hiring to wage inequality to everyday mistreatment. In response, we conducted a critical qualitative investigation to explore how racism manifests in workplaces, uncover overlooked aspects of Black Americans' work lives, and examine their responses and resistance to racism and white supremacy within hierarchical work-based structures. Twelve Black-identifying participants shared their workplace experiences through in-depth qualitative interviews. Participants' narratives revealed racism at work as a pervasive, dehumanizing experience characterized by themes such as experiences of institutional racism, stereotypes, and isolation at work. In the face of racism, participants described drawing on social support, personal strengths, and acts of resistance to navigate their work environments. The findings of this study underscore the need for integrative, culturally responsive counseling approach, such as radical healing alongside sustained structural and policy reforms to address systemic racism to improve the working conditions and well-being for Black workers.
This study investigated the impact of career awareness on career futures and the mediating roles of career adaptability and career stress. Data were collected from 502 preservice teachers in T & uuml;rkiye using a quantitative, correlational design with structural equation modeling. Results showed that career awareness directly predicted career futures and indirectly influenced them by enhancing adaptability and reducing stress. The model explained a substantial portion of the variance in career futures. Findings underscore career awareness as a key factor in strengthening adaptability, alleviating stress, and fostering positive, future-oriented career outcomes in teacher education.
China's reformed college entrance examination (Gaokao) system has intensified the complexity of career decision-making for high school students. This study evaluated a 14-week cognitive information processing (CIP) theory-based career course against existing school programs for addressing career indecision (cognitive difficulties) and indecisiveness (emotional/personality difficulties) in 300 10th-graders (149 CIP, 151 control). Assessments using the Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire-Chinese Version (CDDQ-C) and Emotional and Personality-Related Career Decision-Making Difficulties Scale-Short Form (EPCD-SF) were conducted at pretest, posttest, and 3-month follow-up. Compared to existing courses, the CIP-based course significantly reduced career indecision and the pessimistic views dimension of career indecisiveness, with effects sustained at follow-up. Notably, existing courses showed delayed effects on decreasing other aspects of career indecisiveness. Results highlight the importance of incorporating decision-making frameworks and meta-cognitive strategies into career education and suggest a need for sustained, multifaceted support for emotional/personality-related challenges.
Psychology of Working Theory (PWT) posits that work volition, a person's perceived freedom of work choice despite barriers, allows people to access decent work. As this relationship has received considerable research attention in the last decade, we conducted a meta-analysis for synthesizing the accumulated evidence to this theoretically proposed relationship. We meta-analyzed the findings of 43 effect sizes (N = 18,659) across 42 unique publications. A positive and large summary effect size (r = 0.48, p < 0.001) showed that work volition was strongly related to decent work. While there is considerable heterogeneity across the results, the strength of this relationship was not moderated by the proposed variables (e.g., cultural dimensions) in this study. Overall, we presented empirical evidence supporting the theoretical association between work volition and decent work postulated by PWT. By identifying a critical error in the current meta-analysis literature-namely, the practice of treating manifest and latent correlations as equivalent effect sizes-this research also makes a substantial contribution to improving future meta-analyses within the PWT.
This study explores the indirect impact of employment anxiety on university students' perceptions of decent work through the serial mediating roles of motivational and environmental career resources. Data were collected from 458 university students in T & uuml;rkiye using validated scales. Analysis via Hayes' PROCESS macro (Model 6) revealed that while employment anxiety did not directly predict perceptions of future decent work, its indirect effects through motivational and environmental career resources were statistically significant. The results support the hierarchical interaction model of career resources and align with the Psychology of Working Theory (PWT), highlighting the importance of internal psychological capacities and external support systems in shaping career outlooks. Findings underscore the need for integrated career counseling approaches that strengthen individuals' self-efficacy and enhance access to environmental supports. The study offers practical implications for developing multilayered career interventions and youth employment policies, particularly in contexts marked by economic uncertainty and high youth unemployment.
In an increasingly volatile global job market, students' career development is shaped by both personal capacities and structural barriers. This study examined how academic marginalization-particularly related to educational background-influences the mental well-being of South Korean college students, with attention to the mediating roles of vocational identity and occupational engagement. Using a conceptual model informed by career development and sociocultural perspectives, we surveyed 330 students and recent graduates navigating the school-to-work transition. The findings revealed that while marginalization was negatively associated with vocational identity and mental well-being, it did not directly influence occupational engagement. However, vocational identity served as a partial mediator between marginalization and well-being, and a sequential mediation pathway was identified through which vocational identity affected occupational engagement, which in turn influenced mental well-being. These results highlight the importance of fostering vocational identity and proactive career engagement to buffer the psychological effects of structural disadvantage. Although situated in the South Korean context, the study offers transferable insights for higher education systems globally-particularly in the United States-where students from nontraditional or marginalized academic backgrounds face similar inequities. Implications for institutional support, career development programming, and student mental health services are discussed.
In the hospitality industry, supporting employee career development to enhance job satisfaction and reduce turnover intentions has been a persistent challenge for career development professionals. This study of 393 hospitality workers in the United States demonstrates a serial mediation effect where organizational career support and perceived supervisor support affect employees' job satisfaction and turnover intentions through hopeful career state and work engagement. The results provide career counselors and workplace career development specialists with a framework for understanding how career-related support can enhance employees' career hope, potentially creating more engaged and satisfied workers. This study contributes to the literature by applying the Agentic Human Resource Development Process (AHRDP) to extend the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model in a career development context, suggesting that hopeful career state is a key mediating variable that precedes work engagement. This offers a new lens for career development professionals to understand the factors influencing career development outcomes in organizational contexts.
In the face of growing labor market instability driven by technological disruption, economic volatility and public health crises, job loss has become an increasingly common and deeply disruptive experience, especially for young adults at the beginning of their careers. This qualitative study investigates how members of Generation Z in Vietnam rebuild motivation and develop antifragility following involuntary job loss. Drawing on interviews and focus group discussions with 37 participants, the findings reveal a three-stage process: (1) emotional disorientation and identity disruption; (2) reactivation of intrinsic motivation through self-directed actions; and (3) the emergence of antifragility-marked by proactive adaptation, flexible career reinvention and a redefinition of success. Rather than a fixed trait, antifragility is conceptualized as a psychological capacity that develops when individuals gradually restore autonomy, competence and social connection. The study expands existing theories of career adaptation by showing how intrinsic motivation drives growth beyond resilience in response to adversity. It also highlights the urgent need for policies and support systems that go beyond reemployment to promote psychological renewal and sustainable career development in uncertain times.
Employment is an important factor in psychosocial functioning and recovery from mental health and substance use disorders, but it may be difficult to attain among individuals facing challenges related to substance use and economic constraints. A possible area of intervention to support individuals in recovery is job-search strategy, the quality of which is related to employment outcomes. We examined the relationships among haphazard job searching, economic constraint, substance use, and the related experience of pre-employment drug screening in a sample of 500 currently employed US veterans with histories of substance use addiction. Bivariate and multivariable linear regression analyses were conducted to identify correlates and examine specific relationships among variables. We found that age, education level, and economic constraint were related to haphazard job searching, but substance use type and patterns of use were not. While the experience of a pre-employment drug screen was not related to haphazard job searching, being denied a job due to pre-employment drug screens during a job search and subsequent feelings of discouragement were associated with haphazard job searching. Implications for the relationships among these variables and career counseling considerations are discussed.
Career shocks have emerged as a critical lens through which to examine disrupted career trajectories in times of crisis. While a growing body of scholarship has acknowledged their role in shaping career paths, less attention has been paid to the emotional and cognitive tensions they provoke across life domains. In particular, the interplay between career disruptions and family dynamics remains underexplored. This study addressed this gap by integrating career shock theory with ambivalence theory to investigate how professional women experienced and made sense of being furloughed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on 35 in-depth interviews with women temporarily dismissed during Israel's second national lockdown, we examined how participants navigated the disruption of their professional and familial roles. Our findings revealed that furloughs were frequently experienced as a source of ambivalence, simultaneously perceived as a threat to career progression and an opportunity for reflection or reorientation. Participants also had ambivalent responses to their changing family roles, as they navigated increased caregiving responsibilities and experienced renewed engagement at home. We identified four patterns of coping with these tensions: work-family avoidance, family dominance, work dominance, and work-family holism. This study contributes to career theory by advancing a novel integrative framework that highlights ambivalence as a key dimension of career shocks, offering new insights into how individuals actively negotiate paradoxical demands in disrupted contexts.
Psychology of working theory (PWT) highlights key psychological resources such as career adaptability and work volition in facilitating access to decent work, particularly for economically disadvantaged individuals who face systemic barriers. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an eight-session, PWT-grounded group psychoeducation program on career adaptability, work volition, and future decent work perceptions among economically disadvantaged Turkish undergraduates (N = 81). A quasi-experimental 3 (group: intervention, comparison, control) x 4 (time) mixed design was used. Repeated measures MANOVA revealed significant Time x Group interactions. The intervention group achieved significant and sustained improvements across all outcomes, compared to minimal or transient gains in the comparison and control groups. These findings provide novel empirical support for PWT-based interventions. By fostering key psychological resources, the program appeared to help students navigate contextual barriers and envision more positive work futures. Results highlight group psychoeducation's potential for enhancing career equity and advancing social justice in career outcomes.
Cognitive information processing (CIP) theory focuses on domains of career decision-making and problem-solving with the inclusion of affective and cognitive dimensions. Despite this focus, there is sparse research on the connection between anxiety and CIP cognitive dimensions of negative career thoughts and information-processing (CIP) skills. This study of 181 participants at a large university career center that serves community members explored the connection between forms of anxiety (i.e., state, trait, overall), negative career thoughts, and CIP skills using the Career Thoughts Inventory (CTI) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Correlational research, including regression analyses, was performed to examine this connection. Results indicated a relationship between anxiety and negative career thoughts and information-processing skills. Particularly, trait and overall anxiety were found to be most associated with negative career thoughts and CIP skills. Implications of these findings in career practice, research, and theory are provided.
