An Identity Control Theory Approach to Managing Career Identity in Emerging Adults

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The 15-item Positive Career Goal Discrepancy Scale was developed to assess emerging adults’ appraisals of the extent to which their current career progress exceeds their set career goals. We generated 32 items based on a literature review, focus groups, and expert reviews, used EFA ( N = 244, M age 18.7 years; 65% women) to reduce the number of items, and CFA ( N = 254, M age 18.7 years; 68% women) to confirm the factor structure and demonstrate superior reliability at the total score level (ω reliability = .91). Validity testing demonstrated that the scale was distinct from a measure of negative career goal discrepancy and related, as expected, to constructs in the nomological net: correlated positively with career satisfaction and optimism, and negatively with negative career goal discrepancy. The scale is a useful addition to the career literature and is likely to stimulate research into positive career goal progress in young people.

Section: The Positive Career Goal Discrepancy Scale: Development and mentioning

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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The Positive Career Goal Discrepancy Scale: Development and Initial Validation

Akmal

Creed

Hood

et al. 2020

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“…Careers belong to this group of global, long-term, higher-order goals occurring within the context of development and life events (Park, 2010; Young & Valach, 2004). Thinking about careers is a salient topic for young adults (approximately between 18 and 29 years) who are considering their career options, exploring their individual and career identities (Schwartz, 2016; Sheppard et al, 2020), acquiring career-relevant experiences and skills (Lent & Brown, 2013), and engaging in career-preparatory and planning activities to enhance their employability (Praskova et al, 2015a). Developmentally, these represent career goal-driven competencies relevant for this transitional period of emerging adulthood marked by frequent changes, exploration of work opportunities, and identity development (Arnett, 2000).…”

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Career Goal Discrepancy, Career Distress, and Goal Adjustment: Testing a Dual Moderated Process Model in Young Adults

Praskova

McPeake

2021

Identifying a large discrepancy in young people’s career goal progress can lead to distress, activating meaning-making, self-regulatory mechanisms aimed at resolving the uncomfortable situation. We assessed these important career-regulatory processes in a theoretical model by testing the indirect effects of career goal discrepancy on goal adjustment (assimilation and accommodation) via career distress, and assessed the conditionality of these effects based on two moderators (career calling and negative career feedback). In a cross-sectional study, we recruited 287 young adults with a mean age of 23.79 years ( SD = 3.35), and tested complex dual moderated process model (OLS regression). Greater career goal discrepancy was associated with more career distress, and, in turn, less assimilative and more accommodative tendencies. These indirect effects depended on the level of career calling and negative career feedback. The findings can be used to tailor interventions to optimise the consequences of identified gaps in young people’s career progress.

“…In the career area, most studies of goal discrepancies have focused on negative goal discrepancies. Negative career goal discrepancies are related to less perceived employability (a cognitive response; Creed et al, 2017) and more career distress (an effective response; Creed & Hood, 2015; Sheppard et al, 2019), as well as more career goal disengagement (Hu & Hood et al, 2017), downward goal revision (Hu & Creed, et al, 2017), career identity defence and career exploration (behavioural responses; Anderson & Mounts, 2012; Sheppard et al, 2019). To the best of our knowledge, there has been no research examining the outcomes of positive goal discrepancies in the career context, despite the many calls by scholars to do so (Anderson & Mounts, 2012; Creed et al, 2017; Hu et al, 2018).…”

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Young Adults’ Self-Regulatory Responses to Positive Career Goal Discrepancies: Testing Cross-Lagged Relationships

Akmal

Hood

Creed

et al. 2022

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Researchers have assessed young people’s outcomes when they do not meet their career goals, but little is known about the consequences when they do better than expected (positive discrepancies). We (a) tested the cross-lagged relationships between positive career goal discrepancies and the career-related outcomes of upward goal revision, career exploration, and career coasting, and (b) assessed the indirect relationships between positive career goal discrepancy and outcomes through self-efficacy and outcome expectations. Using a sample of 314 young adults (76% female, Mage 19.13 years), we found that the standard causation model was the most parsimonious. Positive discrepancies predicted more upward goal revision and exploration and less coasting after a 6-month time lag, both directly and indirectly through outcome expectations. The findings highlight the importance of positive career goal appraisals in career goal setting, exploration, management and clarify the roles of agency (self-efficacy and outcome expectations) as explanatory mechanisms in these relationships.