Analyzing the Differences in Career Thoughts Based on Disability Status. (Differences in Career Thoughts)

Cognition has been widely recognized as an important factor to consider when working with individuals regarding issues related to vocational development and career decision making (Lustig & Strauser, 2000). Research in this area has suggested that an individual's vocational behavior is influenced by the interaction between vocational cognitions, behaviors, and environments and is often cognitively mediated (Keller, Biggs, & Gysbers, 1982). Individuals who express and verbalize positive cognitions regarding the career decision-making process tend to make effective decisions. On the other hand, individuals who express and verbalize negative or dysfunctional cognitions regarding the career decision-making process tend to experience difficulty and avoidance (Sampson, Peterson, Lenz, Reardon, & Saunders, 1996). With the potential of career cognitions affecting the career decision-making process, researchers have focused efforts on developing an understanding of career thoughts and their potential impact on career and vocational behavior. One cognitive process that has received attention and has been found to affect career decision-making and vocational behavior is the construct of career thoughts. This paper will explore the differences in career thoughts between individuals with disabilities and individuals without disabilities to examine any differences between the two groups in terms of how they conceptualize career thoughts. Dysfunctional career thoughts have been conceptualized as dysfunctional career beliefs (Krumboltz, 1990), dysfunctional cognitions (Corbishley & Yost, 1989), self-beliefs (Borders & Archadel, 1987), self-defeating assumptions (Dryden, 1999), and faulty self-efficacy beliefs (Brown & Lent, 1996). Research has suggested that dysfunctional career thoughts are related to self-worth, perfectionism, and over-generalization, and have a tendency to decrease life-satisfaction (Sampson et al., 1996; Sampson, Peterson, Lenz, Reardon, & Saunders, 1998). Other areas that have been found to be negatively affected by dysfunctional career thoughts include subjective well being, job satisfaction, job performance, significant relationships, job avoidance, and mood (Judge & Locke, 1993; Newman, Fuqua, & Seaworth, 1989; Saunders, Peterson, Sampson & Reardon, 2000; Serling & Betz, 1990). Research has indicated that dysfunctional career thoughts are often expressed through behavior (e.g., incomplete homework), emotions (e.g., depression, anger), and verbal expression (e.g., negative statements; Corbishley & Yost, 1989). Research has also found that dysfunctional career thoughts: a) often go unnoticed in counseling settings; b) lead to distorted, misinformed, and biased career beliefs; and c) finally result in self-defeating behavior and experiences. It has also been suggested that women may report higher levels of dysfunctional career thoughts due to higher reported levels of anxiety and lower reported levels of self-esteem (Betz & Hackett, 1981; Herr & Cramer, 1996). Research in the area of career decision making has suggested that dysfunctional career thoughts can affect career behavior in four ways. First, an individual's career behaviors can be viewed as responses to the individual's cognitive conceptualization of specific career environments. Second, the individual's cognitive development and learning experiences can modify the individual's career representations. Third, the individual's contextual supports (i.e. family, religious institutions, friends), behaviors, and cognitions interact to influence vocational behavior. Finally, the individual's cognitions mediate and change an individual's career behavior (Keller et al., 1982; Lent, Hackett, & Brown, 2000; Peterson, Sampson & Reardon, 1991; Sampson et al., 1996). Individual factors, such as poor problem-solving skills (Peterson et al., 1991), lack of self-knowledge related to career interests, abilities, and values (Holland & Holland, 1977), maladaptive career beliefs and assumptions (Krumboltz, 1983; Nevo, 1987), personality disorders, depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia (Fuqua, Blum, & Hartman, 1988; Gibb, 1991), and poor self-esteem (Crozat & Kloss, 1979) have also been implicated in the development of dysfunctional career thoughts. …