Influence of family environment and work values on vocational preference across career stages in young adults

Pages: 337-343
Anisha Juneja (Department of Psychology, University of Delhi, Delhi)
Monika Rikhi (Department of Psychology, Sri Aurobindo College, New Delhi )

Career choice has the potential to influence the social mobility, economic security, employment opportunity, emotional well being and quality of life of an individual and his/her family. The process of choosing a career is a developmental task that comes as a challenge to both the child and the parent. As the child progresses across the career stages, decisions of persistence and shift are also made. The present research aimed to study the role of family environment and work values in determining the vocational preference and work values across career stages. The participants included children freshly enrolled in college, those who had been working for less than 2 years after post graduation and those working for less than 10 years, the sample size being 120. The measures used in the study were General Health Questionnaire-12, Family Environment Scale, Vocational Preference Inventory and Values Scale. Regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between the variables. The study has clinical implications for emphasising the importance of making a more planned career decision and evaluating various aspects in career stream persistence or transition.