“What Can I Be When I Grow Up?”—The Influence of Own and Others’ Career Expectations on Adolescents’ Perception of Stress in Their Career Orientation Phase

Abstract

The future that adolescents are growing up to live and work in becomes increasingly complex and vague, making job choice a moving target. Thus, adolescents develop and are confronted with a number of different options for what job they wish to take up and have to balance their own and their social environment’s job aspirations for them. Prior research has suggested including more dynamic approaches to understanding career choice and counseling. In this research, we therefore draw on the possible selves approach and aim at understanding how far imbalance between adolescents’ own and their social environments’ expectations for their vocational future will cause stress. In an online mixed-methods study, 163 adolescent participants, aged 14–22, reported their own and their parents’, teachers’, and friends’ emotions, future orientation, and perceived stress regarding the career choice. Results showed a variety of expectations for future careers held by participants and their social environment, as well as emotions regarding these expectations. Positive deactivating emotions (satisfaction and relief) negatively predicted adolescents’ stress and strain and the older and closer to final job choice participants were, the more they reported stress and strain. These findings suggest including adolescents’ social environment in the career choice process.

Psychometric Properties and a Multiple Indicators Multiple Cause Model of the Career Aspiration Scale with College Students of Rural Thailand

“…The results also provide a greater understanding of the effect of the backgrounds of rural Thai college students on their career aspirations. In general, student career aspirations are shaped by gender, social class, and sociodemographic background [15,19]. For example, the students of fathers who have higher education degrees are likely to have a much higher aspiration for pursuing an advanced education program than peers from different backgrounds [19].…”

“…Weeranakint and Sungsanit [14] reported how the career aspirations of Thai female managers were associated with selfefficacy and organizational types. The study of Ulrich et al [15] showed a correlation between social environment (i.e., parents, teachers, friends) and career aspirations in Thai adolescents. Powell et al [16] reported that Thai educational institutions did not emphasize the importance of student career aspirations because Thai culture emphasizes humility, politeness, and peace.…”

Motivational Conflict and Volitional Career Actions in Young Adults: Ego Depletion as an Explanatory Mechanism

“…Young people are often challenged and stressed regarding their career choices and actions (Ulrich et al, 2021). How well they make these decisions and manage and progress their goals affects their current wellbeing and future career success and satisfaction (Ma et al, 2014).…”

“…Furthermore, self-referenced depletion explained the relationships between career goal progress discrepancy and poorer career decision self-efficacy and less career engagement. These findings have implications for how counsellors might assist young people to improve their career volitional actions by reducing the effects of career motivational conflict.Keywords career goal progress discrepancy, parent-child career incongruence, career decision self-efficacy, career engagement, ego depletion Young people are often challenged and stressed regarding their career choices and actions (Ulrich et al, 2021). How well they make these decisions and manage and progress their goals affects their current wellbeing and future career success and satisfaction (Ma et al, 2014).…”

“…Keywords career goal progress discrepancy, parent-child career incongruence, career decision self-efficacy, career engagement, ego depletion Young people are often challenged and stressed regarding their career choices and actions (Ulrich et al, 2021). How well they make these decisions and manage and progress their goals affects their current wellbeing and future career success and satisfaction (Ma et al, 2014).…”