Within the process of vocational maturity, anxiety may be the primary factor in distinguishing avoidance of tasks necessary for vocational development. This study investigates whether general anxiety or anxiety about choice of a college major and choice of a vocation were related to educational-vocational decidedness. A sample of 427 college students enrolled in a general studies physics course completed the research instrument. This instrument tapped 10 independent variables including 6 anxiety type scales plus self-report biographic data. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to determine which of the independent variables could predict the measures of educational-vocational decidedness used. Of the 10 independent variables, 9 were found to be related to at least 1 of the dependent variables, this supporting the relationships hypothesized between anxiety and career decision making.Each year large numbers of students remain undecided about careers after they have reached a chronological point in development when they should be able to choose (Baird, 1969;Crites, 1969;Wigent, 1974). This sometimes occurs even when the student has been provided with information about self and the world of work in classes, vocational counseling, workshops, or other sources.One might expect that a sizable proportion of young people would be anxious about unclear career prospects, an expectation research seems to support. Empirical studies conducted by various investigators give ample evidence that anxiety is related, directly or indirectly, to being unable to make up one's mind about a vocation. The undecided student (a) may value security and avoid risk taking more than the decided student (Miller, 1956;Ziller, 1957), (b) may hold oneself in less esteem, depend more on others, or have a more This article is based in part on the doctoral dissertation completed at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale by John G. Hawkins under the direction of Richard W. Bradley.Requests for reprints should be sent to Richard

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