Social Cognitive Career Theory of Career Choice

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Social Cognitive Career Theory of Career Choice

• Gail Hackett, Professor Provost

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Development of Banduras Work

• Social Learning Theory
• Social learning personality development
  (Bandura Walters, 1963)
• Principles of behavior modification (1969)
• Self Efficacy Theory (1977)
• Level, strength generality
• Role in mediating choice, performance,
  persistence
• Social Cognitive Theory
• Social foundations of thought action A social
  cognitive theory (1986)
• Self efficacy The exercise of control (1997)

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Our Early Work

• Applications of Banduras Self-efficacy Theory to
  womens career development
• Hackett Betz (1981) theoretical statement
• Direct applications of self efficacy theory to
  explaining womens under-representation in
  male-dominated occupations
• Early areas of study
• Occupational self-efficacy and career interests
• Math self-efficacy
• Career decision making self-efficacy
• Self-efficacy theory also had direct implications
  for intervention
• Research quickly branched out into applications
  to career choice and development more generally

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Social Cognitive Career Theory Origins

• Based on Albert Banduras empirical/theoretical
  work over 4 decades (1969, 1977, 1986, 1997)
• Application of Banduras social cognitive theory
  to career behavior (Lent, Brown Hackett)
• Extended earlier work focused on career
  self-efficacy beliefs and their effect on career
  choice and achievement (Hackett Betz)
• Strong empirical evidence for core of model
  increasing support for full model
• Social cognitive theory accords a central role to
  cognitive, vicarious, self-regulatory and
  self-reflective processes in human adaptation and
  change (i.e., human agency)
• Stands in contrast to conceptions of human
  functioning that overemphasize environmental or
  biological factors
• Theory contains direct implications for
  intervention

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Reciprocal determinants of human functioning
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Social Cognitive Career Theory(Lent, Brown
Hackett, 1994, 2000, 2002)
Contextual Influences Proximal to Choice Behavior
Person Inputs - Predispositions - Gender -
Race/ethnicity - Disability/ Health status
Self-efficacy Expectations
Interests
Goals
Actions
Learning Experiences
Background
Background Contextual Affordances
Outcome Expectations
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SCCT ModelPerson Inputs and background context
Person Inputs - Predispositions - Gender -
Race/ethnicity - Disability/ Health status
Learning Experiences
Background Contextual Affordances
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Distal Influences

• Person Inputs
• Race/ethnicity, gender
• Physical appearance, health, disabilities
• Special abilities, e.g., intelligence, musical
  ability, artistic ability, muscular coordination
• Environmental conditions events
• Socioeconomic status
• Job training opportunities
• Social policies procedures for selecting
  trainees workers
• Rate of return for various occupations (ROI)
• Labor laws, union rules
• Physical events (e.g., earthquakes, hurricanes,
  droughts, floods)
• Availability demand for natural resources
• Technological developments (e.g., computers, web)
• Changes is social organizations
• Family training experiences resources,
  neighborhood community influences (e.g., family
  religion, values, expectations, womens roles,
  availability of models, etc.)
• Education system (e.g., post-secondary
  opportunities affected tremendously by K-12
  system)

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SCCT Model Learning effects on efficacy and
outcome expectations
Self-efficacy Expectations
Learning Experiences
Outcome Expectations
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Key Components of Social Cognitive Theory

• Self-Efficacy Expectations Beliefs in ones
  capability to organize and execute the courses of
  action required to manage prospective situations
  (Bandura, 1986)
• Cognitive appraisals of ones capacity to perform
  specific behaviors (future directed)
• Can you do this? How confident are you that you
  can do this?
• Efficacy beliefs influence initiation/choice of
  activities, effort expended, persistence in the
  face of obstacles, and ultimately success
• NOT self-esteem or other trait construct
• Outcome Expectations Beliefs about the
  consequences of given actions
• What will happen if I do this?
• Consequences of successful performance
• Goals Determination to engage in a particular
  activity or to produce a particular outcome
• What do I choose to do?
• By setting personal goals, people help to
  organize, guide, and sustain
• their own behavior

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Learning InfluencesSources of Self-Efficacy
Information
Prior Performance Accomplishment
Vicarious Learning
Self-Efficacy
Social Persuasion
Physiological and Affective Reactions
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Building Self-efficacy expectations

• Performance Accomplishments
• Most powerful influence
• Attributions of performance important for
  take-away message
• Vicarious Learning
• Importance of model similarity along dimensions
  of importance to the observer
• Observation of consequences of models behavior
• Social Persuasion
• Best when source of persuasion is credible
• Most commonly used but least powerful source of
  information
• Couple with other informational sources
• Physiological States and Affective Reactions
• Weak efficacy beliefs can produce anxiety/high
  levels of anxiety undermine performance
• Anxiety reduction can enhance performance
  self-efficacy

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Attributions of Performance

• Attributions of Success
• Internal Due to my own skills, abilities
  likely to increase efficacy, performance
• External Easy test, course likely to undermine
  or have no effect on efficacy, performance
• Attributions of Failure
• Internal Due to my lack of ability undermining
  efficacy, performance
• External Due to the Instructor being a hard
  grader No effect on efficacy, performance

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Observational Learning
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SCCT Model Learning effects on efficacy and
outcome expectations
Self-efficacy Expectations
Learning Experiences
Outcome Expectations
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Key Components of Social Cognitive Theory

• Self-Efficacy Beliefs in ones capability to
  organize and execute the courses of action
  required to manage prospective situations
• OR cognitive appraisals of ones capacity to
  perform specific behaviors in the future
• Can you do this? How confident are you that you
  can do this?
• Efficacy beliefs determine initiation, choice of
  activities, effort expended,
  
  persistence in the face of obstacles
• Outcome Expectations Beliefs about the
  consequences of given actions
• What will happen if I do this?
• Consequences of successful performance
• Goals Determination to engage in a particular
  activity or to produce a particular outcome
• What do I choose to do?
• By setting personal goals, people help to
  organize, guide, and sustain their own behavior

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Outcome X Efficacy Expectations

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SCCT Model Contextual influences on interests,
goals and actions
Contextual Influences Proximal to Choice Behavior
Self-efficacy Expectations
Interests
Goals
Actions
Outcome Expectations
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Key Components of Social Cognitive Theory

• Self-Efficacy Beliefs in ones capability to
  organize and execute the courses of action
  required to manage prospective situations
• OR cognitive appraisals of ones capacity to
  perform specific behaviors in the future
• Can you do this? How confident are you that you
  can do this?
• Efficacy beliefs determine initiation, choice of
  activities, effort expended,
  
  persistence in the face of obstacles
• Outcome Expectations Beliefs about the
  consequences of given actions
• What will happen if I do this?
• Consequences of successful performance
• Goals Determination to engage in a particular
  activity or to produce a particular outcome
• What do I choose to do?
• By setting personal goals, people help to
  organize, guide, and sustain their own behavior

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Contextual Influences on Career and Academic
Behavior

• Objective and perceived aspects of the
  environment influence beliefs, intentions,
  actions
• Environmental barriers can erode efficacy and
  interests
• Conversely, strong efficacy can enable an
  individual to surmount obstacles and persist in
  the face of barriers
• Three Primary Paths of Contextual Influences
• Distal (early) effects on acquisition of SE and
  OE
• Moderators of interest-choice relations
• Direct influences on choice

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Social Cognitive Career Theory
Contextual Influences Proximal to Choice Behavior
Person Inputs - Predispositions - Gender -
Race/ethnicity - Disability/ Health status
Self-efficacy Expectations
Interests
Goals
Actions
Learning Experiences
Background
Background Contextual Affordances
Outcome Expectations
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Targets for Intervention

• Provide opportunities to build competencies
• Strengthen self-efficacy beliefs via the four
  sources of information
• Realistic self- appraisal of performance
  accomplishments
• Engage in mastery experiences
• Recognize strong performance
• Develop accurate attributions of performance
  (success and failure)
• Provide strong and varied models
• Diversity of academic, work models along varied
  dimensions of similarity
• Coping vs. mastery modeling
• Couple verbal/social persuasion with other
  information sources
• Address undermining anxiety related to
  performance and choice
• Strengthen expand vocational interests in high
  aptitude areas
• Link education to work/careers via career
  exploration (from written/visual information thru
  simulations, modeling, job shadowing to
  practica internships, research work
  experience)
• Address unrealistic outcome expectations
• Minimize barriers enhance facilitators
• Clarify academic career goals

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Selected References

• Lent, R.W. (2013). Social cognitive career theory
  (pp. 115- 146). In S.D. Brown R. W. Lent
  (Eds.), Career development counseling Putting
  theory and research to work (2nd Ed.). New York
  Wiley.
• Hackett, G., Lent, R.W. (2008). Social
  cognitive theory. In F. T. L. Leong
  (Editor-in-Chief), H.E.A.
  Tinsley (Senior Editor) S.H. Lease
  (Associate Editor), Encyclopedia of counseling,
  Volume 2 Personal
  and emotional counseling. (pp. 767-769). Thousand
  Oaks, CA Sage Publications.
•  Betz, N.E., Hackett, G. (2006). Career
  Self-efficacy Theory Back to the Future.
  Journal of Career Assessment, 14, 3-11.
• Lent, R.W., Brown, S.D., Hackett, G. (2002).
  Social cognitive career theory (pp. 255-311). In
  D. Brown, L. Brooks, and Associates, Career
  choice and development (4th Ed.). San Francisco,
  CA Jossey-Bass.
• Lent, R.W., Brown, S.D., Hackett, G. (2000).
  Contextual supports and barriers to career
  choice A social cognitive analysis. Journal of
  Counseling Psychology, 47, 36-49.
• Hackett, G. (1995). Self-efficacy and career
  choice and development. In A. Bandura (Ed.),
  Self-efficacy in adaptation of youth to changing
  societies (232-258). Cambridge Cambridge
  University Press.
• Lent, R. W., Brown, S.D. Hackett, G. (1994).
  Toward a unified social cognitive theory of
  career/academic interest, choice, and
  performance. Journal of Vocational Behavior
  Monograph, 45, 79-122.
• Hackett, G. Betz, N.E. (1992). Self-efficacy
  perceptions and the career-related choices of
  college students. In D. H. Schunk J. L. Meece
  (Eds.), Student perceptions in the classroom
  Causes and consequences (pp. 229-246).
  Hillsdale, N.J. Erlbaum.
• Lent, R. W., Hackett, G. (1987). Career
  self-efficacy Empirical status and future
  directions. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 30,
  347-382. (Monograph.)
• Hackett, G. (1985). The role of mathematics
  self-efficacy in the choice of math-related
  majors of college women and men A path
  analysis. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 32,
  47-56.
• Hackett, G., Betz, N. E. (1981). A
  self-efficacy approach to the career development
  of women. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 18,
  326-339.

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