UNIVERSITY OF FLORENCE
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
Career decision-making difficulties: behind
personality, self-efficacy and perceived
social support, the role of emotional
intelligence
Annamaria Di Fabio & Letizia Palazzeschi
IAEVG-PACE International Career Development Conference
Career Guidance and Development Practices around the World
Cape Town, South Africa, October 19-21, 2011
INTRODUCTION
 From an analysis of the literature, studies on career
decision-making processes reveal an interest for the
investigation of the individual variables tied to
indecision relative to career choice (Borges & Savickas,
2002; Laethem, Mestgagh, & Vanderheyden, 2003; Nilsson
et al., 2007; Tokar, Fischer, & Subich, 1998).
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INTRODUCTION
Two traits of the Big Five personality
model (Costa & McCrae, 1992) that
appear to be greatly tied to career
indecision are Extraversion and
Neuroticism (Feldman, 2003).
Inverse relationships of Extraversion and positive
relationships of Neuroticism with the three dimensions of
Career Decision Difficulties Questionnaire (CDDQ, Gati et al.,
1996): extrovert and emotionally stable subjects seem to
perceive less decision-making difficulties both before and
during the decision-making process itself (Di Fabio &
Palazzeschi, 2009).
3
INTRODUCTION
Career indecision is tied to
career decision-making selfefficacy (Lent, Brown, & Hackett,
1996; Taylor & Betz, 1983).
In the literature self-efficacy is a crucial determinant of human
agency and a promoter of activation in the search for
information (Bandura, 1989).
Some studies support a positive relationship between decisionmaking self-efficacy, the amount of initiative and energy
invested in the choice (Luzzo, 1993) and a stable model of choice
(Gianakos,1999).
4
INTRODUCTION
The role of perceived social support in
relation to career indecision was investigated
in the literature (Blustein, Prezioso, & Schultheiss,
1995; Blustein, Walbridge, Friedlander, & Palladino,
1991; Kenny & Bledsoe, 2005).
Perceived social support seem facilitate self-exploration and
the exploration of the environment, commitment in career
decision-making (Blustein et al., 1995), career adaptability (Kenny &
Bledsoe, 2005), career exploration (Rogers, Creed, & Glendon, 2008),
career aspirations and career development of the students
(Wall, Covell, & MacIntryre, 1999).
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INTRODUCTION
A topic of recent interest regarding the career
choice process is research on the construct of
emotional intelligence (Di Fabio & Blustein, 2010;
Di Fabio & Kenny, 2011; Di Fabio & Palazzeschi,
2008, 2009).
Individuals who possess greater emotional intelligence are better able
to integrate emotional experiences with thoughts and actions
(Emmerling & Cherniss, 2003).
Emotional intelligence may then play a role in the processes of career
exploration and career decision-making (Emmerling & Cherniss, 2003), with
an increase of individuals’ faith in their own ability to deal with tasks
related to academic/career decision-making (Brown, George-Curran, &
Smith, 2003) and an increase of their ability to predict emotional
consequences of a potential career choice (Emmerling & Cherniss, 2003).
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Career Decision-making Difficulties
(Gati, Krausz, & Osipow, 1996)
Career Decision Difficulties
Prior to beginning
the process
Lack
of Readiness
During
the process
Lack
of Information
Inconsistent
Information
Lack
of Motivation
Decisional
process
Unreliable
Information
Indecisiveness
Occupations
Internal
Conflicts
Dysfunctional
Myths
Self
External
Conflicts
Ways of obtaining
information
7
INTRODUCTION
In the literature relationships between career decision-making difficulties
and emotional intelligence emerge (Di Fabio & Palazzeschi, 2008).
An inverse relationship between emotional intelligence and the
three dimensions of Career Decision-Making Difficulties
Questionnaire (CDDQ, Gati et al., 1996) emerges (Di Fabio &
Palazzeschi, 2008).
The emotional intelligence dimensions add a percentage of
incremental variance with respect to personality traits in
explaining career decision-making difficulties (Di Fabio &
Palazzeschi, 2009).
Importance of emotional
self-awareness for career
construction
(Di Fabio & Palazzeschi, 2008).
8
AIM
Take an in-depth look at the role of
personality traits, career decision-making
self-efficacy, perceived social support, and
emotional intelligence in relation to
career decision-making difficulties.
Verify the existence of incremental
validity of emotional intelligence with
respect to personality, career decisionmaking self-efficacy and perceived social
support.
9
HYPOTHESES
H1. Individuals who report higher career decision-making difficulties will be lower
on extraversion (Albion & Fogarty; 2002; Caldwell & Burger, 1998; Feldman, 2003;
Kanfer et al., 2001) and lower on emotional stability (Albion & Fogarty; 2002;
Boudreau et al., 2001; Feldman, 2003; Tokar et al., 1998);
H2. Individuals who report higher career decision-making difficulties will show
lower career decision-making self-efficacy (Creed et al., 2004; Gianakos, 1999);
H3. Individuals who report higher career decision-making difficulties will perceive
lower social support (Blustein et al., 1995; Blustein et al., 1991; Young et al., 2001).
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HYPOTHESES
H4. Individuals who report higher career decision-making
difficulties will show lower levels of emotional intelligence (Di
Fabio & Kenny, in press; Di Fabio & Palazzeschi, 2008, 2009;
Emmerling & Cherniss, 2003).
H5. Emotional intelligence adds a percentage of incremental
variance with respect to both personality, career decisionmaking self-efficacy and perceived social support in relation to
career decision-making difficulties (Di Fabio & Palazzeschi, 2009).
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METHOD
PARTICIPANTS
227 Italian university students of the twelve
Faculties of the University of Florence. 138
males (60.8%) and 89 females (39.2%);
median age 22.01, SD = 1.99.
MEASURES
Career Decision Difficulties Questionnaire (CDDQ, Gati, Krausz, & Osipow, 1996),
in the Italian version by Di Fabio and Palazzeschi (in press).
Big Five Questionnaire (Caprara, Barbaranelli, & Borgogni, 1993).
Career Decision Self-Efficacy Scale - Short Form (CDSES-SF, Betz, & Taylor, 2000)
in the Italian version by Nota, Pace and Ferrari (2008).
Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS, Zimet et al., 1988) in
the Italian version by Di Fabio and Busoni (2008).
Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (Bar-On EQ-i; Bar-On, 2002), in the Italian
version by Franco and Tappatà (2009).
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PROCEDURES
Test administration was conducted in a collective manner
by specialized personnel, in accordance with the laws on
privacy. The order of administration was counterbalanced
to control the effects of the order of presentation.
DATA ANALYSIS
 Correlations (Pearson’s r )
 Hierarchical regressions
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RESULTS: HIERARCHICAL REGRESSION
Dependent variable: Lack of Readiness
Step 1

Step 2
Extraversion
-.16
ρ
.015
Emotional Stability
-.34
.001

Step 3

-.07
ρ
.264
-.06
ρ
.311
-.26
.001
-.13
.034
Step 2
CDSES-SF
-.27
.001
-.15
.006
MSPSS Significant other
-.02
.768
-.01
.899
MSPSS Family
-.14
.003
-.20
.006
MSPSS Friend
-.09
.282
-.02
.815
Intrapersonal
-.32
.001
Adaptability
-.12
.025
Stress Management
-.12
.033
Step 3
R²
ΔR²
.19
.001
.35
.001
.46
.001
.16
.001
.11
.001
Personality traits account for the 19% of the variance of Lack of Readiness dimension.
When career decision-making self-efficacy and the three factors of perceived social support are added, the
model accounts for the 16% greater of variance.
When Intrapersonal, Adaptability and Stress Management dimensions of emotional intelligence are added,
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the model accounts for the 11% greater of variance.
RESULTS: HIERARCHICAL REGRESSION
Dependent variable: Lack of Information
Step 1

Step 2
Extraversion
-.17
ρ
.013
Emotional stability
-.25
.001
Step 2
CDSES-SF
MSPSS Significant other
MSPSS Family
MSPSS Friend
Step 3
Intrapersonal
Interpersonal
Adaptability
Stress management
R2
∆R2
.13
.001

Step 3

-.11
ρ
.095
-.17
ρ
.005
-.15
.023
-.07
.223
-.30
.001
-.21
.001
-.13
-.17
-.06
.129
.050
.522
-.07
-.13
-.11
.408
.090
.189
-.19
-.05
-.36
-.02
.005
.316
.001
.685
.30
.001
.46
.001
.17
.001
.16
.001
Personality traits account for the 13% of the variance of Lack of Information dimension.
When career decision-making self-efficacy and the three factors of perceived social support are added, the
model accounts for the 17% greater of variance.
When Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Adaptability and Stress Management dimensions of emotional
15
intelligence are added, the model accounts for the 16% greater of variance.
RESULTS: HIERARCHICAL REGRESSION
Dependent variable: Inconsistent Information
Step 1

Extraversion
Emotional stability
-.25
Step 2
ρ
.001
.001
Step 2
CDSES-SF
MSPSS Significant other
MSPSS Family
MSPSS Friend
Step 3
Intrapersonal
Interpersonal
Adaptability
Stress Management
R²
ΔR²
.18
.001

Step 3

-.15
ρ
.010
-.17
ρ
.003
-.18
.004
-.11
.064
-.17
.005
-.06
.288
-.12
-.31
-.01
.132
.001
.878
-.07
-.25
-.01
.373
.001
.988
.41
.001
-.22
-.22
-.09
-.03
.50
.001
.001
.089
.589
.001
.22
.001
.10
.001
Personality traits account for the 18% of the variance of Inconsistent Information dimension.
When career decision-making self-efficacy and the three factors of perceived social support are added, the
model accounts for the 22% greater of variance.
When Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Adaptability and Stress Management dimensions of emotional
16
intelligence are added, the model accounts for the 10% greater of variance.
DISCUSSION
The first hypothesis (H1) was confirmed.
Each of the three dimensions of CDDQ
are inversely tied to Extraversion and
Emotional Stability.
These results are in line with the
findings present in the literature in
relation to career indecision (Boudreau et
al., 2001; Caldwell & Burger, 1998; Feldman,
2003; Kanfer et al., 2001; Tokar et al., 1998)
and particularly in relation to career
decision making-difficulties (Albion &
Fogarty, 2002).
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DISCUSSION
The second hypothesis (H2) was confirmed.
Each of the three dimensions of CDDQ are
inversely tied to career decision-making
self-efficacy.
Self-efficacy plays a role in the
understanding of the career indecision
(Creed et al., 2004; Gianakos, 1999), particularly
in the specific difficulties that individuals
may encounter before and during the
career decision-making process.
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DISCUSSION
The third hypothesis (H3) was confirmed.
Each of the three dimensions of CDDQ
are inversely tied to perceived social
support.
These results are in line with the findings
present in the literature (Blustein et al., 1995;
Blustein et al., 1991; Kenny & Bledsoe, 2005;
Young et al., 2001). The relevance of
perceived social support for career
decision-making difficulties is outlined,
particularly in career choices.
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DISCUSSION
The fourth hypothesis (H4) was confirmed.
Each of the three dimensions
of CDDQ are inversely tied to
the dimensions of emotional
intelligence.
These results are in line with
previous studies (Di Fabio &
Palazzeschi, 2008, 2009).
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DISCUSSION
The fifth hypothesis (H5) was confirmed.
The dimensions of emotional
intelligence adds a percentage of
incremental variance with respect to
personality, career decision-making
self-efficacy and perceived social
support in relation to career decisionmaking difficulties.
These results are in line with the
findings in the literature (Di Fabio &
Palazzeschi, 2009).
21
DISCUSSION
Lack of Readiness dimension is
mainly
explained
by
the
Intrapersonal
dimension
of
emotional intelligence as a
previous study suggested
(Di Fabio & Palazzeschi, 2008).
Role of emotional self-awareness
in the difficulties that prevent
individuals from starting the
decision-making process.
22
DISCUSSION
Lack of Information dimension is
mainly explained by the Adaptability
dimension of emotional intelligence,
differently than the findings in the
literature (Di Fabio & Palazzeschi, 2008).
Importance of using emotions to enact
effective problem solving strategies in
the search for information concerning
the career decision-making process.
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DISCUSSION
Inconsistent Information dimension is
mainly explained not only by
Intrapersonal dimension of emotional
intelligence, as suggested in a previous
research (Di Fabio & Palazzeschi, 2008) but
also by the Interpersonal dimension of
emotional intelligence.
Role played by emotional self-awareness
and the ability to build satisfying
relationships with others and to
understand their sentiments in the
perception of information that may be
reliable and consistent.
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LIMITS AND FUTURE RESEARCH
Results obtained from a specific
sample of students of University
of Florence.
Use more representative sample of
the current Italian situation and verify
the results in other international
contexts.
Use of the self-report type of
measurement.
To measure emotional intelligence
would be useful to join selfassessment questionnaires and tool
that are able to detect emotional
intelligence skills.
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CONCLUSIONS
 The results of this study allow to investigate the relation of the
decision-making difficulties in career choice with personality traits,
career decision-making self-efficacy, perceived social support and in
particular emotional intelligence.
 In literature emotional intelligence is an increasable variable
(Bar-On, 1997, 2000; Cooper, 1997; Di Fabio & Kenny, in press).
Also in guidance and career counseling it
is possible to hypothesize the usefulness
of specific training aimed at enhancing
emotional intelligence to reduce career
decision-making difficulties and facilitate
the process of choice.
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Thank you for your attention
adifabio@psico.unifi.it
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