Advances in vocational theory and research: A 20-year retrospective

Abstract

This paper reviews major advances in theory and research on vocational behavior over the past 2 decades. Organized along the lines of traditional distinctions between counseling and organizational behavior, the state of theory and research circa 1971 is reviewed, then important trends in research and theory development in the intervening decades are summarized. Some important distinctions in focus between the counseling psychology and organizational behavior perspectives are noted. Within the counseling psychology tradition the evolution of several older theoretical models and the emergence of promising new conceptual frameworks are traced. From an organizational behavior perspective, changing trends in the application of theoretical models to vocational topics are explored. Finally, important areas of convergence are discussed and recommendations for future research, particularly the cross-fertilization of ideas between traditions within the field of vocational behavior, are proposed.