social cognitive career theory of career choice gail hackett, professor & provost
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Social Cognitive Career Theory of Career Choice
Gail Hackett, Professor & Provost
Development of Bandura’s Work
Social Learning Theory• Social learning & personality development (Bandura & Walters,
1963)• Principles of behavior modification (1969)
Self Efficacy Theory (1977)• Level, strength & generality• Role in mediating choice, performance, persistence
Social Cognitive Theory• Social foundations of thought & action: A social cognitive theory
(1986)• Self efficacy: The exercise of control (1997)
Our Early Work
Applications of Bandura’s Self-efficacy Theory to women’s career development
Hackett & Betz (1981) theoretical statement • Direct applications of self efficacy theory to explaining women’s
under-representation in male-dominated occupations • Early areas of study:
• Occupational self-efficacy and career interests• Math self-efficacy• Career decision making self-efficacy
• Self-efficacy theory also had direct implications for intervention • Research quickly branched out into applications to career choice and
development more generally
Social Cognitive Career Theory: Origins
• Based on Albert Bandura’s empirical/theoretical work over 4+ decades (1969, 1977, 1986, 1997)
• Application of Bandura’s social cognitive theory to career behavior (Lent, Brown & Hackett)
• Extended earlier work focused on career self-efficacy beliefs and their effect on career choice and achievement (Hackett & Betz)
• Strong empirical evidence for core of model; increasing support for full model• Social cognitive theory accords a central role to cognitive, vicarious, self-
regulatory and self-reflective processes in human adaptation and change (i.e., human agency)
• Stands in contrast to conceptions of human functioning that overemphasize environmental or biological factors
• Theory contains direct implications for intervention
Reciprocal determinants of human functioning
BackgroundBackgroundContextualAffordances
Person Inputs
- Predispositions- Gender- Race/ethnicity- Disability/ Health status
Learning Experiences
Self-efficacyExpectations
Outcome Expectations
Interests Goals Actions
Contextual InfluencesProximal to Choice Behavior
Social Cognitive Career Theory(Lent, Brown & Hackett, 1994, 2000, 2002)
BackgroundContextualAffordances
Learning Experiences
SCCT ModelPerson Inputs and background context
Person Inputs
- Predispositions- Gender- Race/ethnicity- Disability/ Health status
Distal Influences
Person Inputs• Race/ethnicity, gender• Physical appearance, health, disabilities• Special abilities, e.g., intelligence, musical ability, artistic ability, muscular coordination
Environmental conditions & events• Socioeconomic status• Job & training opportunities• Social policies & procedures for selecting trainees & workers• Rate of return for various occupations (ROI)• Labor laws, union rules• Physical events (e.g., earthquakes, hurricanes, droughts, floods)• Availability & demand for natural resources• Technological developments (e.g., computers, web)• Changes is social organizations • Family training experiences & resources, neighborhood & community influences (e.g., family
religion, values, expectations, women’s roles, availability of models, etc.)• Education system (e.g., post-secondary opportunities affected tremendously by K-12 system)
Learning Experiences
Self-efficacyExpectations
Outcome Expectations
SCCT Model: Learning effects on efficacy and outcome expectations
Key Components of Social Cognitive Theory
Self-Efficacy Expectations: Beliefs in one’s capability to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations (Bandura, 1986)
Cognitive appraisals of one’s capacity to perform specific behaviors (future directed)
Can you do this? How confident are you that you can do this? Efficacy beliefs influence initiation/choice of activities, effort expended,
persistence in the face of obstacles, and ultimately successNOT self-esteem or other trait construct
Outcome Expectations: Beliefs about the consequences of given actions What will happen if I do this? Consequences of successful performance
Goals: Determination to engage in a particular activity or to produce a particular outcome What do I choose to do? By setting personal goals, people help to organize, guide, and sustain their own behavior
Prior PerformanceAccomplishment
VicariousLearning
Social Persuasion
Physiological andAffective Reactions
Self-Efficacy
Learning Influences:Sources of Self-Efficacy Information
Building Self-efficacy expectations
Performance Accomplishments• Most powerful influence • Attributions of performance important for take-away message
Vicarious Learning• Importance of model similarity along dimensions of importance to
the observer• Observation of consequences of model’s behavior
Social Persuasion• Best when source of persuasion is credible• Most commonly used but least powerful source of information• Couple with other informational sources
Physiological States and Affective Reactions• Weak efficacy beliefs can produce anxiety/high levels of anxiety
undermine performance• Anxiety reduction can enhance performance & self-efficacy
Attributions of Performance
Attributions of Success• Internal – Due to my own skills, abilities: likely to
increase efficacy, performance• External – Easy test, course: likely to undermine or have
no effect on efficacy, performance Attributions of Failure
• Internal – Due to my lack of ability: undermining efficacy, performance
• External – Due to the Instructor being a hard grader: No effect on efficacy, performance
Observational Learning
Learning Experiences
Self-efficacyExpectations
Outcome Expectations
SCCT Model: Learning effects on efficacy and outcome expectations
Self-Efficacy: Beliefs in one’s capability to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations
•OR cognitive appraisals of one’s capacity to perform specific behaviors in the future• Can you do this? How confident are you that you can do this?• Efficacy beliefs determine initiation, choice of activities, effort expended, & persistence in the face of obstacles
Outcome Expectations: Beliefs about the consequences of given actions
• What will happen if I do this?• Consequences of successful performance
Goals: Determination to engage in a particular activity or to produce a particular outcome• What do I choose to do?• By setting personal goals, people help to organize, guide, and sustain their own behavior
Key Components of Social Cognitive Theory
Outcome X Efficacy Expectations
Self-efficacyExpectations
Outcome Expectations
Interests Goals Actions
Contextual InfluencesProximal to Choice Behavior
SCCT Model: Contextual influences on interests, goals and actions
Self-Efficacy: Beliefs in one’s capability to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations
•OR cognitive appraisals of one’s capacity to perform specific behaviors in the future• Can you do this? How confident are you that you can do this?• Efficacy beliefs determine initiation, choice of activities, effort expended, & persistence in the face of obstacles
Outcome Expectations: Beliefs about the consequences of given actions• What will happen if I do this?• Consequences of successful performance
Goals: Determination to engage in a particular activity or to produce a particular outcome
• What do I choose to do?• By setting personal goals, people help to organize, guide, and sustain their own behavior
Key Components of Social Cognitive Theory
Contextual Influences on Career and Academic Behavior
• Objective and perceived aspects of the environment influence beliefs, intentions, & actions• Environmental barriers can erode efficacy and interests• Conversely, strong efficacy can enable an individual to
surmount obstacles and persist in the face of barriers• Three Primary Paths of Contextual Influences
– Distal (early) effects on acquisition of SE and OE– Moderators of interest-choice relations– Direct influences on choice
BackgroundBackgroundContextualAffordances
Person Inputs
- Predispositions- Gender- Race/ethnicity- Disability/ Health status
Learning Experiences
Self-efficacyExpectations
Outcome Expectations
Interests Goals Actions
Contextual InfluencesProximal to Choice Behavior
Social Cognitive Career Theory
Targets for Intervention
Provide opportunities to build competencies Strengthen self-efficacy beliefs via the four sources of information
Realistic self- appraisal of performance accomplishments• Engage in mastery experiences• Recognize strong performance• Develop accurate attributions of performance (success and failure)
Provide strong and varied models• Diversity of academic, work models along varied dimensions of similarity• Coping vs. mastery modeling
Couple verbal/social persuasion with other information sources Address undermining anxiety related to performance and choice
Strengthen & expand vocational interests in high aptitude areas Link education to work/careers via career exploration (from written/visual information
thru simulations, modeling, & job shadowing to practica & internships, research & work experience)
Address unrealistic outcome expectations Minimize barriers & enhance facilitators Clarify academic & career goals
Selected References
Lent, R.W. (2013). Social cognitive career theory (pp. 115- 146). In S.D. Brown & R. W. Lent (Eds.), Career development & counseling: Putting theory and research to work (2nd Ed.). New York: Wiley.
Hackett, G., & Lent, R.W. (2008). Social cognitive theory. In F. T. L. Leong (Editor-in-Chief), H.E.A. Tinsley (Senior Editor) & S.H. Lease (Associate Editor), Encyclopedia of counseling, Volume 2: Personal and emotional counseling. (pp. 767-769). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Betz, N.E., & Hackett, G. (2006). Career Self-efficacy Theory: Back to the Future. Journal of Career Assessment, 14, 3-11.
Lent, R.W., Brown, S.D., & Hackett, G. (2002). Social cognitive career theory (pp. 255-311). In D. Brown, L. Brooks, and Associates, Career choice and development (4th Ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Lent, R.W., Brown, S.D., & Hackett, G. (2000). Contextual supports and barriers to career choice: A social cognitive analysis. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 47, 36 49.‑
Hackett, G. (1995). Self-efficacy and career choice and development. In A. Bandura (Ed.), Self-efficacy in adaptation of youth to changing societies (232-258). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lent, R. W., Brown, S.D. & Hackett, G. (1994). Toward a unified social cognitive theory of career/academic interest, choice, and performance. Journal of Vocational Behavior [Monograph], 45, 79-122.
Hackett, G. & Betz, N.E. (1992). Self-efficacy perceptions and the career-related choices of college students. In D. H. Schunk & J. L. Meece (Eds.), Student perceptions in the classroom: Causes and consequences (pp. 229-246). Hillsdale, N.J.: Erlbaum.
Lent, R. W., & Hackett, G. (1987). Career self-efficacy: Empirical status and future directions. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 30, 347-382. (Monograph.)
Hackett, G. (1985). The role of mathematics self-efficacy in the choice of math-related majors of college women and men: A path analysis. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 32, 47-56.
Hackett, G., & Betz, N. E. (1981). A self-efficacy approach to the career development of women. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 18, 326-339.
Questions?