Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Coping with Career Indecision Among Young Adults: Implications for Career Counseling

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
New perspectives on career counseling and guidance in Europe

Abstract

Making a career decision is a complex task that may result in indecision—a condition frequently associated with psychological distress and anxiety. Helping clients deal with indecision is an important challenge for career counselors. This chapter presents a career-specific coping model and a corresponding measure for assessing individuals’ strategies for coping with career indecision (SCCI). The major concepts of the model were adopted from previous theories of coping with stress. The SCCI model consists of 14 strategies that represent three coping styles: productive coping, support-seeking, and nonproductive coping. The chapter reviews the results of studies that tested the SCCI model, the relative effectiveness of the various strategies, and practical implications of using SCCI for assessment and measuring outcomes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Amir, T., & Gati, I. (2006). Facets of career decision-making difficulties. British Journal of Guidance and Counseling, 34, 483–503. doi:10.1080/03069880600942608.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Argyropoulou, E. P., Sidiropoulou-Dimakakou, D., Besevegis, E. G. (2007). Generalized self-efficacy, coping, career indecision, and vocational choices of senior high school students in Greece: Implications for career guidance practitioners. Journal of Career Development, 33, 316–337. doi:10.1177/0894845307300412.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Betz, N. E., Hammond, M. S., Multon, K. D. (2005). Reliability and validity of five-level response continua for the career decision self-efficacy scale. Journal of Career Assessment, 13, 131–149. doi:10.1177/1069072704273123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blustein, D. L. (2011). A relational theory of working. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 79, 1–17. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2010.10.004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, S. D., & Rector, C. C. (2008). Conceptualizing and diagnosing problems in vocational decision making. In S. D. Brown, R. W. Lent (Eds.). Handbook of counseling psychology (pp. 392–407). New York, NY: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carver, C. S., & Scheier, M. F. (1998). On the self-regulation of behavior. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Compas, B. E., Connor-Smith, J. K., Saltzman, H., Thomsen, A. H., Wadsworth, M. E. (2001). Coping with stress during childhood and adolescence: Problems, progress, and potential in theory and research. Psychological Bulletin, 127, 87–127. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.127.1.87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Creed, P. A., Hood, M., Praskova, A., Makransky, G. (2016). The career distress scale: Using Rasch measurement theory to evaluate a brief measure of career distress. Journal of Career Assessment, 24, 732–746. doi:10.1177/1069072715616126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duffy, R. D., Blustein, D. L., Diemer, M. A., Autin, K. L. (2016). The psychology of working theory. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 63, 127–148. doi:10.1037/cou0000140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Folkman, S., & Moskowitz, J. T. (2004). Coping: Pitfalls and promise. Annual Review of Psychology, 55, 745–774. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.55.090902.141456.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fouad, N. A., Guillen, A., Harris-Hodge, E., Henry, C., Novakovic, A., Terry, S., et al. (2006). Need, awareness, and use of career services for college students. Journal of Career Assessment, 14, 407–420. doi:10.1177/1069072706288928.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frydenberg, E. (2004). Coping competencies: What to teach and when. Theory Into Practice, 43, 14–22. doi:10.1207/s15430421tip4301_3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frydenberg, E., & Lewis, R. (1993). Adolescent coping scale. Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frydenberg, E., & Lewis, R. (2004). Adolescents least able to cope: How do they respond to their stresses? British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 32, 25–37. doi:10.1080/03069880310001648094.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gadassi, R., Gati, I., Dayan, A. (2012). The adaptability of career decision-making profiles. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 59, 612–622. doi:10.1037/a0029155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gati, I., & Asulin-Peretz, L. (2011). Internet-based self-help career assessments and interventions: Challenges and implications for evidence-based career counseling. Journal of Career Assessment, 19, 259–279. doi:10.1177/1069072710395533.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gati, I., & Levin, N. (2012). The stability and structure of career decision-making profiles: A 1-year follow-up. Journal of Career Assessment, 20, 390–403. doi:10.1177/1069072712448892.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gati, I., & Levin, N. (2014). Counseling for career decision-making difficulties: Measures and methods. Career Development Quarterly, 62, 98–113. doi:10.1002/j.21610045.2014.00073.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gati, I., Amir, T., Landman, S. (2010). Career counselors' perceptions of the severity of career decision-making difficulties. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 38, 393–408. doi:10.1080/03069885.2010.503700.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gati, I., Krausz, M., Osipow., S. H. (1996). A taxonomy of difficulties in career decision making. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 43, 510–526. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.43.4.510.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gati, I., Landman, S., Davidovitch, S., Asulin-Peretz, L., Gadassi, R. (2010). From career decision-making styles to career decision-making profiles: A multidimensional approach. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 76, 277–291. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2009.11.001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hacker, J., Carr, A., Abrams, M., Brown, S. D. (2013). Development of the career indecision profile: Factor structure, reliability, and validity. Journal of Career Assessment, 21, 32–41. doi:10.1177/1069072713492930.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jalowiec, A. (2003). The Jalowiec coping scale. In O. L. Strickland, C. DiIorio (Eds.). Measurement of nursing outcomes: Self-care and coping 3, (71–87). New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • John, O. P., Donahue, E. M., Kentle, R. L. (1991). The Big Five Inventory – Versions 4a and 54. Berkeley, CA: University of California, Berkeley, Institute of Personality and Social Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Larson, L. M., Toulouse, A. L., Ngumba, W. E., Fitzpatrick, L. A., Heppner, P. P. (1994). The development and validation of coping with career indecision. Journal of Career Assessment, 2, 91–110. doi:10.1177/106907279400200201.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York, NY: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lent, R. W., & Brown, S. D. (2013). Social cognitive model of career self-management: Toward a unifying view of adaptive career behavior across the life span. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 60, 557–568. doi:10.1037/a0033446.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lipshits-Braziler, Y., Gati, I., Tatar, M. (2015). Strategies for coping with career indecision: Concurrent and predictive validity. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 91, 170–179. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2015.10.004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lipshits-Braziler, Y., Gati, I., Tatar, M. (2016). Strategies for coping with career indecision. Journal of Career Assessment, 24, 42–66. doi:10.1177/1069072714566795.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lipshits-Braziler, Y., Gati, I., Tatar, M. (2017). Strategies for coping with career indecision: Convergent, divergent, and incremental validity. Journal of Career Assessment. doi:10.1177/1069072715620608. in press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lipshits-Braziler, Y., Tatar, M., Gati, I. (2017). The effectiveness of strategies for coping with career indecision: Young adults’ and career counselors’ perceptions. Journal of Career Development. doi:10.1177/0894845316662705. in press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lounsbury, J. W., Hutchens, T., Loveland, J. M. (2005). An investigation of big five personality traits and career decidedness among early and middle adolescents. Journal of Career Assessment, 13, 25–39. doi:10.1177/1069072704270272.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Multon, K. D., Heppner, M. J., Gysbers, N. C., Zook, C., Ellis-Kalton, C. A. (2001). Client psychological distress: An important factor in career counseling. Career Development Quarterly, 49, 324–335. doi:10.1002/j.2161-0045.2001.tb00960.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Osborn, D., Finklea, J. T., Belle, J. G. (2015). Integrating assessments into the career decision-making conversation. Career Planning and Adult Development Journal, 30, 144–155.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perez, M., & Gati, I. (2017). Advancing in the career decision-making process: The role of coping strategies and career decision-making profiles. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, in press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, S. D., & Strohmer, D. C. (1983). Vocationally mature coping strategies and progress in the decision-making process: A canonical analysis. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 30, 395–402. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.30.3.395.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, S. D., Christopher-Sisk, E., Gravino, K. (2001). Making career decisions in a relational context. The Counseling Psychologist, 29, 193–213. doi:10.1177/0011000001292002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Querstret, D., & Cropley, M. (2013). Assessing treatments used to reduce rumination and/or worry: A systematic review. Clinical Psychology Review, 33, 996–1009. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2013.08.004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saka, N., Gati, I., Kelly, K. R. (2008). Emotional and personality-related aspects of career decision-making difficulties. Journal of Career Assessment, 16, 403–424. doi:10.1177/1069072708318900.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Savickas, M. L. (2013). Career construction theory and practice. In S. D. Brown, R. W. Lent (Eds.). Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work. 2nd ed. (pp. 147–183). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, E. A., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2011). Perceived control and the development of coping. In S. Folkman (Ed.). The Oxford handbook of health, stress and coping (pp. 35–62). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, E. A., Edge, K., Altman, J., Sherwood, H. (2003). Searching for the structure of coping: A review and critique of category systems for classifying ways of coping. Psychological Bulletin, 129, 216–269. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.129.2.216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, K. M., & Betz, N. E. (1983). Applications of self-efficacy theory to the understanding and treatment of career indecision. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 22, 63–81. doi:10.1016/0001-8791(83)90006-4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whiston, S. C., Rossier, J., Hernandez Baron, P. M. (2016). The working alliance in career counseling: A systematic overview. Journal of Career Assessment, 24, 591–604. doi:10.1177/1069072715615849.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeidner, M., & Saklofske, D. (1996). Adaptive and maladaptive coping. In M. Zeidner, N. S. Endler (Eds.). Handbook of coping: Theory, research, applications (pp. 505–531). New York: John Wiley & Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Q., & Rottinghaus, P.J. (2011, July). Engaging in non-conscious processes: Mindfulness techniques in career decision-making. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Career Development Association, San Antonio, TX.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., & Skinner, E. A. (2008). Adolescents coping with stress: Development and diversity. The Prevention Researcher, 15, 3–7.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Seymour Fox School of Education, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem, 9190501, Israel

    Yuliya Lipshits-Braziler

Authors
  1. Yuliya Lipshits-Braziler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yuliya Lipshits-Braziler .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. INETOP, Conservatoire National des Arts et MĂ©tie INETOP, Paris, France

    Valérie Cohen-Scali

  2. Inst. of Psych,Geopolis 4207, University of Lausanne Inst. of Psych,Geopolis 4207, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Jerome Rossier

  3. Dipartimento di Filosofia, Sociologia, Pedagogia e Psicologia Applicata, UniversitĂ  di Padova Dipartimento di Filosofia, Sociologia, Pedagogia e Psicologia Applicata, Padova, Italy

    Laura Nota

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Lipshits-Braziler, Y. (2018). Coping with Career Indecision Among Young Adults: Implications for Career Counseling. In: Cohen-Scali, V., Rossier, J., Nota, L. (eds) New perspectives on career counseling and guidance in Europe . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61476-2_5

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61476-2_5

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-61475-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-61476-2

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation