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The purpose of the present study was to examine the role of skin color (i.e., lightness–darkness), as it pertains to racial identity development theory and self‐esteem among 113 African American college students of various skin colors. Findings revealed that the sample preferred skin color of a medium tone, rather than exhibiting self‐preference for either lighter or darker skin tones. There was also a significant relationship between one's perceptions of and preferences for his or her skin color and the skin tones idealized by others (e.g., opposite gender, family). Lighter skin color was positively related to higher levels of racial identity attitudes (immersion/emersion); the more satisfied darker skinned individuals were with their skin color, the lower their self‐esteem, and gender differences existed in perceptions of others’ preferences for skin color. Implications of this study for providing therapeutic clinical services and fostering the healthy psychological development of African American men, women, and children are discussed.

Career maturity is a useful construct for studying adolescents, but it has limits. Professional counselors need to integrate personality and decision‐making style into research on career maturity as well as give more than a passing nod to developmental theory. They cannot study career development at the individual level alone; context matters and is an integral part of career development. The amount of variance in individual career development accounted for by context and change may be so great that longitudinal research on individuals may not be worthwhile.

The purpose of this paper is to describe an empirical approach to the study of adolescence and to apply research findings to vocational counseling. The study of identity status has enriched and supported Erikson's theory of psychosocial development. Case histories of hypothetical clients in the four identity statuses are presented and different approaches for counseling with such clients are suggested.

Vocational choice and development are central to one's occupational identity in western society as one's occupation is a primary source of information about social class, education, and values. The relationship between occupational identity status and vocational development, however, has not been fully explored.