|
A Taxonomy of Career
Decision-Making Difficulties
|
|
Gati, Krausz & Osipow (1996)
|
|
|
The proposed taxonomy is
based on three levels of categorization. The first distinction is between
difficulties arising before actually beginning the career-decision making
process and those that arise during the process. The former include
difficulties involving a lack of readiness to enter the career
decision-making process. Within the latter, we distinguish between
difficulties involving lack of information and difficulties in utilizing
available information due to information inconsistency.
|
|
|
Each of these three major categories of difficulties (lack of readiness,
lack of information, and inconsistent information) is further divided into
specific difficulty categories, for a total of ten difficulty categories.
|
|
|
Following is a short description of each of the specific difficulty
categories.
|
|
Difficulties Arising prior to Beginning the Career Decision-Making Process
|
|
|
Lack of Readiness
|
|
|
This major category consists of three specific difficulty categories:
|
|
|
Lack
of Motivation - A high score in
this area reflects a lack of willingness to make a decision at this point.
|
|
|
Indecisiveness - A
high score in this area reflects a general difficulty in making decisions.
|
|
|
Dysfunctional Beliefs - A high score in this area reflects a distorted perception of the
career decision-making process, irrational expectations of it and
dysfunctional thoughts about it.
|
|
Difficulties Arising during the Process
|
|
|
Lack of Information
|
|
|
This major category consists of four specific difficulty categories:
|
|
|
Lack
of Information about the Decision Making Process - A high score in this area reflects a lack of
knowledge about how to make a decision wisely, and specifically a lack of
knowledge regarding the specific steps involved in the career
decision-making process.
|
|
|
Lack of Information about the Self - A high score in this area reflects a situation
where one feels that one does not have enough information about oneself
(e.g., about career preferences, abilities etc).
|
|
|
Lack of Information about Occupations - A high score in this area reflects a lack of
information regarding the existing array of career options: what
alternatives exist and/or what each alternative’s characteristics are.
|
|
|
Lack of Information about Ways of Obtaining Information - A high score in this area reflects a lack of
information about ways of obtaining additional information or help that may
facilitate decision making.
|
|
|
Inconsistent Information
|
|
|
This major category consists of three specific difficulty categories:
|
|
|
Unreliable
Information - A high score in
this area indicates that the individual feels that he / she has
contradictory information about himself / herself or about the considered occupations.
|
|
|
Internal Conflicts -
A high score in this area reflects a state of internal confusion. Such
internal conflict may stem from a difficulty in compromising in the many
factors the individual views as important, when some of these factors are
incompatible each other.
|
|
|
External Conflicts
- A high score in this area may indicate a gap between an individual's
preferences and the preferences voiced by others who are significant to him
/ her, or a contradiction between the opinions of two significant others.
|
|
|
Back
|
