PREDICTING CAREER DECISION-MAKING STRATEGIES IN WOMEN: THE ROLE OF SELF-DETERMINATION AND PERCEIVED EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Abstract

Abstract: The aim of the present research was to investigate the role of self-determination (SD) and perceived emotional intelligence (EI) in adopting specific career decision-making strategies (CDMSs), and thereby to extend knowledge about personality factors playing a crucial role in adaptive ways of making career decisions. The study was conducted on a sample of 173 first-year university female students aged 19-25 using the questionnaires Career Decision-Making Profile (CDMP; Gati et al., 2010), Career Decision-Making Autonomy Scale (CDMAS; Guay, 2005), Academic Motivation Scale-College (AMS-C; Vallerand et al., 1992), and Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS; Salovey et al., 1995). The results supported the importance of SD and perceived EI in predicting adaptive career decision-making (CDM); SD accounted for 2-34% of variance in CDMSs and the perceived EI explained additional up to 11% of their variance, even after controlling for SD. Higher SD and perceived EI were associated with more frequent use of adaptive and less frequent use of maladaptive CDMSs. Our findings might be relevant to career counselling.Key wo rd s: career decision-ma king stra tegies, self-determination, autonomous regulation, perceived emotiona l intelligenceThe aim of the present research was to investigate the role of self-determination (SD) and perceived emotional intelligence (EI) in adopting specific career decision-making strategies (CDMSs), and thereby to extend knowledge about personality factors playing a crucial role in adaptive career making (CDM).Adaptiveness of Career Decision-MakingAdaptive CDM, along with career planning and career exploration, is seen as an essential component of coping with career development. To date, several models have been introduced defining basic criteria for assessing adaptiveness of decision-making. The issue of decision-making adaptiveness has been approached from either normative or descriptive perspective (Gati, Landman, Davidovitch, Asulin-Peretz, & Gadassi, 2010; Phillips, 1997).Normative models are derived from economic and probabilistic conceptions of decision-making processes with the Subjective Expected Utility (SEU) model being the standard. They are aimed at postulating such decision-making procedures which should lead to optimal choice. People are considered fully decision-makers, when Acknowledgement they are able to obtain and process all information necessary to assess each alternative (Balaz, 2010; Gati & Tal, 2008; Phillips, 1997).Descriptive models rely on the proposition that not only decision-making procedures meet the criteria for adaptive coping with career development. Their aim is to redefine adaptiveness of CDM in terms of other than rational decision-making strategies. Modern descriptive CDM models pursue a process approach to assessing decision-making adaptiveness. Instead of evaluating decision outcomes - that is, achieving distinct goals - descriptive models address the question of the manner of making decisions - that is, what decision-making gies provide to eliminate inhibiting factors of CDM and support the facilitating ones. These factors are supposed to be preconditions for achieving pursued goals and thereby contribute to maintenance and enhancement of one's subjective well-being (Gati et al., 2010; Latalova & Pilarik, in press; Phillips, 1997).Adaptiveness of Specific Career DecisionMaking StrategiesGati et al. (2010) have recently introduced a multidimensional descriptive model involving 12 basic dimensions or strategies of CDM. In order to measure the level of each dimension in individuals' CDM processes and thereby build up detailed profile of egies they to make career choices, the authors constructed an instrument Career Decision-Making Profile (CDMP). This enabled them to empirically investigate, which pole of each CDMP dimension is more adaptive according to some alternative, otherthan-rational criteria characterizing CDM process (specifically emotional and personalityrelated CDM difficulties, five factors of the Big Five personality model, decision status describing individuals as decided, partially decided, or undecided, and CDM self-efficacy). …