The Relationship between Self-Esteem, Self-Efficacy, and Career Decision-Making Difficulties: Psychological Flourishing as a Mediator

Abstract

Well-being associated with optimism, social support, and self-esteem is positively correlated with career decision. In this perspective, a rather recent concept of flourishing as an integrative notion incorporating these different resources, positive affect, and positive experience is particularly relevant to better understand the relations and correlations between self-evaluation, well-being, and career decision-making difficulties. The present study then examines the relationship between these possible difficulties, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and flourishing. One hundred and seventy-two higher education students participated in the study and completed a four-part questionnaire with the Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire, the Flourishing Scale, the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale. The results highlight the mediation of psychological flourishing between personality dimensions—self-esteem and self-efficacy—and career decision difficulties and the fact that those who are most flourishing in their lives will also have the least difficulty in making a career decision. As for the practical implications, guidance counselors for students and young adults need to identify resources and difficulties they have to cope with. This study emphasizes the importance of guiding students in three areas: self-esteem, the perceived quality of social relations, and the meaning attributed to one’s existence. Finally, the contribution of positive psychology to career development will be discussed.

The Influence of Parental Support Dimensions in Shaping the Intention to Continue the Family Business Daughter Successors With Self-Efficacy as a Mediator

“…Career-related modeling is a cognitive process wherein individuals acquire and cultivate careerrelated behaviors and attitudes through observing others, particularly role models within their respective professional domains (Pignault et al, 2023). This has the potential to significantly augment an individual's self-efficacy, a psychological construct denoting their belief in their capacity to execute tasks or attain particular objectives (Zammiti et al, 2023).…”