Variations of career decision ambiguity tolerance between China and the United States and between high school and college

The Structure and Measurement of Career Indecision: A Critical Review

“…This could include developing and fostering abilities related to building self‐awareness as well as to an understanding of the world of work (Gati & Saka, 2001a; Wanberg & Muchinsky, 1992). It could also be important for counselors during treatment planning to be mindful that, for individuals from Eastern cultures, collecting information cannot completely alleviate choice/commitment anxiety and that other factors, such as ambiguity tolerance (Xu, Hou, Tracey, & Zhang, 2016; Xu & Tracey, 2014, 2015b, 2017c), should also be considered.…”

Self‐Focused Attention and Career Anxiety: The Mediating Role of Career Adaptability

“…They found that aspiration for the ideal occupation, willingness to put in effort, and a sense of control are the main components of career adaptability, and these factors are negatively related to career anxiety. Xu, Hou, Tracey, and Zhang (2016) also found that a low level of career adaptability and avoiding and withdrawing from the uncertainties within the career decision‐making process were positively related to a higher level of career anxiety among Chinese high school and college students. In a 2‐year longitudinal study, Fiori, Bollmann, and Rossier (2015) found that increased career adaptability leads to a decrease in negative affect, such as anxiety, sadness, or frustration, which in turn leads to a higher level of job satisfaction and a lower level of work stress.…”

Big Five Personality Traits and Ambiguity Management in Career Decision‐Making

“…Additionally, scholars have collected cross‐cultural data to examine whether ambiguity aversion plays a salient role in non‐U.S. cultures and longitudinal data to examine whether this construct leads to subsequent career decision‐making outcomes (e.g., Storme et al, 2019; Xiao et al, 2017; Xu, Hou, Tracey, & Zhang, 2016; Xu & Tracey, 2017b). The results of these studies have all been supportive of the positive association between ambiguity aversion and career indecision, suggesting that ambiguity aversion is significant for Chinese and French decision makers and that people with more ambiguity aversion tend to exhibit more subsequent career indecision (Storme et al, 2019; Xiao et al, 2017; Xu et al, 2016; Xu & Tracey, 2017b).…”

“…To further understand how personality traits predict ambiguity aversion, I additionally explored two mediators in the link between the Big Five personality traits and ambiguity aversion: tolerance and confidence. Tolerance and confidence in ambiguity management were two key factors identified in factor analytic explorations of people's reactions to ambiguity in career decision‐making (Xu et al, 2016; Xu & Tracey, 2015b, 2017a). While tolerance describes an individual's tendency to tolerate and accept ambiguity, confidence describes an individual's tendency to feel confident in regulating ambiguity (Xu et al, 2016; Xu & Tracey, 2017a).…”

“…Tolerance and confidence in ambiguity management were two key factors identified in factor analytic explorations of people's reactions to ambiguity in career decision‐making (Xu et al, 2016; Xu & Tracey, 2015b, 2017a). While tolerance describes an individual's tendency to tolerate and accept ambiguity, confidence describes an individual's tendency to feel confident in regulating ambiguity (Xu et al, 2016; Xu & Tracey, 2017a). Xu and Tracey (2017a) proposed that tolerance and confidence represent two distinct orientations in ambiguity management: While tolerance emphasizes a relatively passive, acceptance‐oriented style, confidence emphasizes a relatively proactive, control‐oriented style.…”