Mindfulness and Decision-Making Style: Predicting Career Thoughts and Vocational Identity
The Career Development Quarterly
Short Title:
The Career Development QuarterlyMindfulness and Decision-Making Style
Format:
Journal Article
Publication Date:
2019/03//
Pages:
77 - 91
Sources ID:
109151
Collection:
Mindfulness Studies and Undergraduates
Visibility:
Public (group default)
Abstract:
(Show)
Mindfulness has been a focus of psychological research and practice in recent decades. Yet, there is limited research on the relationship between mindfulness and vocational decision-making. This study’s purpose was to examine the role of mindfulness in a career context by investigating the relationships among mindfulness, decisionmaking style, negative career thoughts, and vocational identity. The sample included 258 undergraduate students (204 women, 54 men) at a large southeastern U.S. university. Mindfulness was significantly (p < .01) associated with fewer negative career thoughts, external and thinking-based decision-making styles, and higher vocational identity. Multiple regression procedures found that mindfulness, coupled with decision-making style, accounted for 31% of the variance in negative career thoughts and 22% of the variance in vocational identity. These findings suggest that more holistic career counseling interventions could incorporate mindfulness techniques to help reduce anxiety and negative thoughts while increasing self-clarity and problem-solving skills. Future research could include more diverse samples, additional constructs (e.g., choice volition, self-efficacy), and a pretest–posttest design to examine the efficacy of mindfulness-based career interventions.