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Career decidedness and psychological well‐being: A two‐cohort longitudinal study of undergraduate students and recent graduates
Author(s) -
Arnold John
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
journal of occupational psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.257
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 2044-8325
pISSN - 0305-8107
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8325.1989.tb00487.x
Subject(s) - graduation (instrument) , longitudinal study , psychology , value (mathematics) , medical education , social psychology , clinical psychology , medicine , geometry , mathematics , pathology , machine learning , computer science
Previous predominantly cross‐sectional research on antecedents and outcomes of career decidedness has been voluminous but inconclusive. A longitudinal study with two cohorts of undergraduates and recent graduates ( n = 124 and n = 157) is described. Using aspects of psychological well‐being as dependent variables, the study demonstrates how research design can be improved and empirically examines the value of these improvements. Decidedness and well‐being were significantly related especially around graduation, when sustaining a decision led to high levels of well‐being. Explanations for the results and the implications of this study for the design of future research on career decidedness are examined.