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Career coping styles: differences in career attitudes among secondary school students

  • Isabel N. Janeiro
  • José Ferreira Marques
Article
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Abstract

The types of difficulties associated with career attitudes were studied using Super’s model of career maturity (1990) in a group of 620 Portuguese students from grades 9 and 12. A cluster analysis identified four styles with different patterns of association between time perspective, attributional beliefs, self-esteem and career attitudes. The adaptive style showed more committed career attitudes, and the other three styles—superficial, insecure and pessimistic—showed lower levels of career maturity. Implications for career counselling are further discussed.

Keywords

Career coping styles Career attitudes Career counselling 

Résumé.

Styles de coping face au parcours professionnel: différences dans les attitudes face au parcours professionnel chez des élèves de l’enseignement secondaire. On a étudié, en utilisant le modèle de la maturité de carrière de Super (1990), les types de difficultés associés aux attitudes face au parcours professionnel dans un groupe de 620 étudiants portugais des 9e et 12e degrés. Grâce à une analyse en clusters, quatre styles ont été identifiés, qui présentent différents patterns d’association entre la perspective temporelle, les croyances d’attribution causale, l’estime de soi et les attitudes relatives au parcours professionnel. Le style adaptatif correspond à des attitudes relatives au parcours professionnel plus engagées et les trois autres styles - superficiel, incertain et pessimiste – à des niveaux inférieurs de maturité de carrière. Les implications relatives au conseil en orientation professionnelle sont ensuite discutées.

Zusammenfassung.

Persönliche Stile bei der Bewältigung der Berufswahl: Unterschiedliche Einstellungen zur Berufslaufwahn bei Oberschülern. Auf der Grundlage von Supers Modell der Berufsreife (1990) wurden die Typen von Problemen untersucht, die bei einer Gruppe von 620 portugiesischen Schülern der Klassenstufen 9 bis 12 mit persönlichen Einstellungen zur Berufswahl verbunden sind. Eine Cluster-Analyse ermittelte vier verschiedene persönliche Stile mit unterschiedlichen Erwartungsmustern im Hinblick auf die zeitliche Perspektive, die Zuweisungseinstellungen, das Selbstwertgefühl und Karriere-Einstellungen. Beim adaptiven Stil zeigten sich mehr zielorientierte Einstellungen als bei den drei anderen – oberflächlich, unsicher und pessimistisch – Stilen.

Resumen.

Estilos de afrontamiento de la carrera: Diferencias en las actitudes profesionales entre estudiantes de secundaria. Los tipos de dificultades asociadas con las actitudes profesionales, usando el modelo de madurez de la carrera de Super (1990), se estudiaron en un grupo de 620 estudiantes portugueses de los grados 9º a 12º. A través de un análisis de conglomerados se identificaron cuatro estilos con diferentes patrones de asociación entre perspectiva temporal, creencias de atribución, auto-estima y actitudes hacia la carrera. El estilo adaptativo mostró actitudes profesionales más comprometidas, mientras que los otros tres estilos – superficial, inseguro y pesimista – mostraron niveles más bajos de madurez profesional. Finalmente, se discuten en mayor profundidad las implicaciones para la orientación de la carrera.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Faculty of PsychologyUniversity of Lisbon, Alameda da UniversidadeLisbonPortugal

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