Attachment Relationships and the Career Exploration Process

Abstract

This article examines the role of parent—adolescent attachment relationships in the career exploration process. We propose that college students who report secure attachment relationships with their parents would engage in greater environmental and self‐exploration, as well as greater nontraditionality of exploration, as measured by the degree of gender traditionality of their primary occupational preference. One hundred and thirty‐seven undergraduates (50 men, 87 women) completed measures of parent attachment, career exploration, and a demographic form. The results of a canonical correlation analysis indicated that attachment to parents associated positively with environmental exploration. However, the results indicated that parental attachment was not associated with traditionality of exploration. An examination of relevant demographic variables suggested that age played a significant role, whereas gender did not. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for career theory and practice.