A latent profile analysis in Italian workers: Crucial ingredients of career construction counseling for enhancing gifted and talented learners?

Abstract

Giftedness is a lifelong journey; gifted adult workers need specific career counselling. The Psychology of Sustainability and Sustainable Development enhances the value of positive psychological resources for gifted and talented workers to sustain them in their careers and life projects. The study implemented a latent profile analysis (LPA) in adult workers ( n = 311) to identify profiles according to self-rated job performance and work engagement as proxies for gifted and talented learners. Other crucial resources were also considered. A tree-profile (A, B, C) solution best fits the data. Among these, Profile C ( n = 77; 24%) showed high job performance and engagement. It could represent an “eminence” profile. Profile C also showed high levels of emotional intelligence, positive affect, satisfaction with life, meaning in life, flourishing, job satisfaction, meaning at work, flourishing at work, workplace relational civility, acceptance of change, and low levels of negative affect. This profile includes crucial ingredients that could be useful to pay attention to during career construction counselling and innovative career counselling for gifted and talented learners.