A Test of the Tripartite Model of Career Indecision of Brown and Krane for African Americans Incorporating Emotional Intelligence and Positive Affect

Abstract

Brown and Krane have posited a tripartite model of career indecision, which includes three higher order factors: negative affect, poor vocational identity development, and lack of career information. The purpose of this study was to examine the adequacy of their tripartite model of career indecision for African American students, considering that the samples used in the meta-analysis of Brown and Krane were predominantly Caucasian. With regard to recent research suggesting the importance of emotional intelligence for career development, this study also examined the presence and degree of relationship among positive affect, emotional intelligence, and the three factors in the model of Brown and Krane. A total of 171 participants from a Historically Black University completed a packet of career diagnostic assessments that included a measure of emotional intelligence. Factor analysis suggested that five factors (career self-efficacy, career-related emotional maturity, information needs, vocational identity development, and career decisional status) could be extracted to represent the constructs related to career decision making for African American students. Implications for career counseling are discussed with regard to viewing positive affect and emotional intelligence as an integral factor in the career decision-making process.