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Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the construct validity of career indecision by examining its relationships to selected negative personality traits (perfectionism, self-consciousness, and fear of commitment) among 217 college students. It was hypothesized that career indecision would be positively and significantly associated with perfectionism, self-consciousness, and fear of commitment. As predicted, fear of commitment was a strong predictor of career indecision. Two of the three dimensions of perfectionism were also predictive of career indecision: Self-oriented perfectionism was a significant negative predictor of career indecision, whereas socially prescribed perfectionism was positively predictive of career indecision. However, other-oriented perfectionism was not predictive of career indecision. As was true of perfectionism, two of the three dimensions of self-consciousness were predictive of career indecision: Private self-consciousness was a positive predictor of career indecision, and social anxiety was a negative predictor. Public self-consciousness was not a significant predictor of career indecision. The implications of the findings for career counselors and for future research are discussed.

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Construct Validity of Career Indecision: Negative Personality Traits as Predictors of Career Indecision

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