Possible selves is a future-oriented, personalized, affect-laden, motivating form of self-knowledge, which provides a link between one's self-concept and incentives for future behavior, an interpretive framework for an individual's current views of self, and a way to link present behaviors with future outcomes. This article explores the usefulness of thinking about one's occupational future in the context of possible selves. Beneficial aspects of doing so include a personalization of career-related choices including their affective components, incentives to be planful, and an explicit focus on the future. Ideas are presented for applying possible selves to a career-counseling focus for racial/ethnic minorities and women. Cautions related to the construct and directions for research are explored.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Alawadi, B.Y., & Medler, B.R. (1994, April). Possible selves and minority career development . Paper presented at the meeting of Division 17 Great Lakes Regional Conference, Notre Dame, IN.
2.
Betz, N.E. (1989). Implications of the null environment hypothesis for women's career development and for counseling psychology. The Counseling Psychologist, 17, 136-144.
3.
Betz, N.E. (1992). Career assessment: A review of critical issues . In S. D. Brown & R. W. Lent (Eds.), Handbook of counseling psychology (2nd ed., pp. 453-484). New York: Wiley.
4.
Betz, N.E. (1994). Basic issues and concepts in career counseling for women. In W. B. Walsh & S. H. Osipow (Eds.), Career counseling for women (pp. 1-41). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum .
5.
Betz, N.E., & Corning, A.F. (1993). The inseparability of "career" and "personal" counseling. Career Development Quarterly, 42, 137-142.
6.
Betz, N.E., & Fitzgerald, L.F. (1987). The career psychology of women. New York: Academic Press .
7.
Betz, N.E., & Hackett, G. (1981). The relationship of career-related self-efficacy expectations to perceived career options in college women and men. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 28, 399-410.
8.
Bingham, R.P., & Ward, C.M. (1994). Career counseling with ethnic minority women. In W. B. Walsh & S. H. Osipow (Eds.), Career counseling for women (pp. 165-195). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
9.
Bowman, S.L. (1993). Career intervention strategies for ethnic minorities . Career Development Quarterly, 42, 14-25.
10.
Brown, D., Minor, C.W., & Jepsen, D.A. (1991). The opinions of minorities about preparing for work: Report of the second NCDA national survey. Career Development Quarterly, 40, 5-19.
11.
Chalk, L.M., Meara, N.M., & Day, J.D. (1994). Possible selves and occupational choices. Journal of Career Assessment, 2, 364-383.
12.
Chalk, L.M., Meara, N.M., & Day, J.D. (1995). Occupational possible selves: Fears and aspirations of college women. Manuscript submitted for publication.
13.
Cross, S., & Markus, H. (1991). Possible selves across the life span. Human Development, 34, 230-255.
14.
Davidson, S.L., & Gilbert, L.A. (1993). Career counseling is a personal matter. Career Development Quarterly, 42, 149-153.
15.
Day, J.D., Borkowski, J.B., Punzo, D., & Howsepian, B. (1994). Enhancing possible selves in Mexican American students. Motivation & Emotion, 18, 79-103.
16.
Day, J.D., Borkowski, J.G., Dietmeyer, D.L., Howsepian, B.A., & Saenz, D.S. (1992). Possible selves and academic achievement. In L. T. Winegar & J. Valsinea (Eds.), Children's development within social context (Vol. 2, pp. 181-201). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
17.
Deaux, K. (1993). Reconstructing identity. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 19, 4-12.
18.
Eccles, J.S. (1987). Gender roles and women's achievement-related decisions . Psychology of Women Quarterly, 11, 135-172.
19.
Fitzgerald, L.F., & Betz, N.E. (1983). Issues in the vocational psychology of women. In W. B. Walsh & S. H. Osipow (Eds.), Handbook of vocational psychology: Volume 1. Foundations (pp. 83-161). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
20.
Fitzgerald, L.F., & Crites, J.O. (1980). Toward a career psychology of women. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 27, 44-62.
21.
Gilbert, L.A., Hallett, M., & Eldridge, N.S. (1994). Gender and dual-career families: Implications and applications for the career counseling of women . In W. B. Walsh & S. H. Osipow (Eds.), Career counseling for women (pp. 135-164). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
22.
Gregory, W.L., Cialdini, R.B., & Carpenter, K.M. (1982). Self-relevant scenarios as mediators of likelihood estimates and compliance: Does imagining make it so?Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 43, 89-99.
23.
Graham, S. (1994). Motivation in African Americans. Review of Educational Research, 64, 55-117.
24.
Hackett, G. (1993). Career counseling and psychotherapy: False dichotomies and recommended remedies. Journal of Career Assessment, 1, 105-117.
25.
Hackett, G., & Lonborg, S.D. (1994). Career assessment and counseling for women. In W. B. Walsh & S. H. Osipow (Eds.), Career counseling for women (pp. 43-85). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
26.
Harackiewicz, J.M., Manderlink, G., & Sansone, C. (1992). Competence processes and achievement motivation . In A. K. Boggiano & T. S. Pittman (Eds.), Achievement and motivation: A social-developmental perspective (pp. 115-137). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
27.
Haslam, N., & Baron, J. (1994). Intelligence, personality and prudence. In R. J. Sternberg & P. Ruzgis (Eds.), Personality and intelligence (pp. 32-58). Cambridge , England: Cambridge University Press.
28.
Hesse-Biber, S. (1985). Male and female students' perceptions of their academic environment and future career plans: Implications for higher education . Human Relations, 38, 91-105.
29.
Holland, J.L. (1985). Vocational Preference Inventory professional manual . Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologist Press. (Now published by Psychological Assessment Resources , Odessa, FL.)
30.
Holland, J.L. (1992). Making vocational choices: A theory of vocational personalities and work environments. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
31.
Holland, J.L. (1994). The Self-Directed Search professional manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
32.
Howard, G.S., Curtin, T.D., & Johnson, A.J. (1991). Point estimation techniques in psychological research: The role of meaning in self-determined action. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 38, 219-226.
33.
Kirschenbaum, D.S., Humphrey, L.L., & Malett, S.D. (1981). Specificity of planning in adult self-control: An applied investigation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 40, 941-950.
34.
Kirschenbaum, D.S., Malett, S.D., Humphrey, L.L., & Tomarken, A.J. (1982). Specificity of planning and maintenance of self-control: 1 year follow-up of a study improvement program . Behavior Therapy, 13, 232-240.
35.
Krumboltz, J.D. (1993). Integrating career and personal counseling. Career Development Quarterly, 42, 143-148.
Leong, F. (1993). The career counseling process with racial/ethnic minorities: The case of Asian Americans. Career Development Quarterly, 42, 26-40.
38.
Markus, H., Cross, S., & Wurf, E. (1990). The role of the self-system in competence. In R. L. Sternberg & J. Kolligian, Jr. (Eds.), Competence considered (pp. 205-225). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
39.
Markus, H., & Kitayama, S. (1991). Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion and motivation. Psychological Review, 98, 224-253.
40.
Markus, H., & Nurius, P. (1986). Possible selves. American Psychologist , 41, 954-969.
41.
Markus, H., & Ruvolo, A.P. (1989). Possible selves: Personalized representations of goals. In L. A. Pervin (Ed.), Goal concepts in personality and social psychology (pp. 211-241). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
42.
Meara, N.M. (in press). Prudence and career assessment: Making explicit our implicit assumptions. In M. Savickas & W. B. Walsh (Eds.), Integrating career theory and practice. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
43.
Meara, N.M., & Patton, M.J. (1994). The therapeutic alliance in career counseling . Career Development Quarterly, 43, 161-177.
44.
Miller, N.E. (1944). Experimental studies of conflict. In J. McV. Hunt (Ed.), Personality and the behavior disorders (Vol. 1, pp. 431-465). New York: Ronald Press.
45.
Mitchell, L.K., & Krumboltz, J.D. (1990). Social learning approach to career decision making: Krumboltz's theory. In R. S. Sharf (Ed.), Applying career development theory to counseling (pp. 274-301). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole .
46.
Osipow, S.H. (1990). Convergence in theories of career choice and development: Review and prospect. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 36, 122-131.
47.
Osipow, S.H. (in press). Career theory into practice. In M . Savickas & W. B. Walsh (Eds.), Integrating career theory and practice. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
48.
Oyserman, D., & Markus, H. (1990). Possible selves in balance: Implications for delinquency . Journal of Social Issues, 46, 141-157.
49.
Parsons, F. (1909). Choosing a vocation. Boston : Houghton Mifflin.
50.
Pepinsky, H.B., & Pepinsky, P.N. (1954). Counseling: Theory and practice. New York: Ronald Press .
51.
Ruvolo, A.P., & Markus, H. (1992). Possible selves and performance: The power of self-relevant imagery. Social Cognition, 10, 95-124.
52.
Savickas, M. L., & Walsh, W. B. (Eds.). (in press). Integrating career theory and practice. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
53.
Subich, L.M. (1993). How personal is career counseling?Career Development Quarterly, 42, 129-131.
54.
Sue, D.W., & Sue, D. (1990). Counseling the culturally different: Theory and practice (2nd ed.). New York : Wiley.
55.
Super, D.E. (1980). A life-span, life-space approach to career development . Journal of Vocational Behavior, 16, 282-298.
56.
Walsh, W.B. (Chair). (1990, August). Career counseling and psychotherapy . Symposium conducted at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association, Boston, MA.
57.
Walsh, W.B. (1991, August). Career counseling and psychotherapy: Where do we go from here? Symposium conducted at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association, San Francisco, CA.
58.
Zytowski, D.G., & Borgen, F.H. (1983). Assessment. In W . B. Walsh & S. H. Osipow (Eds.), Handbook of vocational psychology: Volume 2. Applications (pp. 5-40). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
