Vocational psychology is divided between two conflicting paradigms: Trait-based,
exemplified by Holland's (1997)
theory, and social–cognitive, exemplified by Social-Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT).
Scientifically, this division is problematic, as scientific truth is partially determined
by consensus among experts (Kuhn,
1970). We propose that the trait-based and social–cognitive perspectives can be
integrated—not by subsuming SCCT into Holland's (1997) model as suggested by Armstrong and Vogel (2009, 2010) but by reinterpreting traits in terms of
social–cognitive units. SCCT lacks the scope and explanatory power to accomplish this task
partially because, as we detail, the theory relies on many trait constructs itself. To
accomplish our integration, we introduce an influential theory from the personality
literature: The Cognitive-Affective Personality System (CAPS; Mischel & Shoda, 1995). We describe CAPS and
highlight its parallels with SCCT. We then explain how trait-based accounts of vocational
interests and cognitive abilities can be translated into CAPS units. We conclude by
describing how trait constructs can still be viable within the CAPS framework and by
calling for empirical research to put our propositions to the test.
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