Affect as a predictor of occupational engagement, career adaptability and career decidedness

Abstract

Background: Cognition and reason have received substantial and inordinate attention relative to emotion and intuition in understanding and intervening to promote vocational behaviour and career development.

Objectives: Towards redressing this situation, the present study examined positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) as proxies for emotion with regard to their relationship with three career decision-making (CDM) variables.

Method: A total of 250 university students (183 women, 65 men; mean age = 23 years; 88% Caucasian) responded to measures of affect, occupational engagement, career adaptability and career decidedness.

Results: The study results supported hypothesised positive interrelationships amongst the three CDM variables. As hypothesised, regression analysis indicated that PA positively predicted the three CDM variables. Contrary to expectations, NA also positively predicted occupational engagement and career decidedness, albeit to a lesser degree.

Conclusion: The present results indicate that emotions, both positive and negative, seem to be linked to important vocational processes and should be considered in career theory and intervention.