Relationships between Career Indecision Subtypes and Ego Identity Development.

The relationship between career indecision subtypes and ego identity development was examined in a study of 423 college students (aged 18-26) who were attending undergraduate psychology classes at five southeastern universities and colleges and who had not yet decided upon a career. The students were divided into the following four cluster groups on the basis of their scores on the Career Factors Inventory: ready to decide, developmentally undecided, choice anxious, and chronically indecisive. A profile analysis technique that included a multivariate analysis of covariance was used to identify relationships among the four cluster groups and the first five stages of Erikson's psychosocial model of identity development--trust, autonomy, initiative, industry, and identity. The ready-to-decide group scored significantly higher on the trust, industry, and ego identity subscales than the developmentally undecided, choice-anxious, and chronically indecisive groups did. The ready-to-decide group also scored highest on the autonomy subscale. On the initiative subscale, however, no significant differences were found between the scores of the ready-to-decide and developmentally undecided groups. Career counseling interventions were suggested for each of the four career decision groups. (Contains 31 references.) (MN)