Mind the gap! Cognitive-motivational determinants of career decision-making in postsecondary school transitions

ABSTRACT

Using self-determination and schema therapy theories, we examine the cognitive-motivational processes underlying the regulation of career decisions and the experience of well/ill-being during the key school-to-work transition among Portuguese high school students. We obtained two pathways of transition: A “Bright” pathway, where need satisfaction associates with positive and flexible schematic processing to predict autonomous regulation of career decisions and experienced well-being, and a “Dark” pathway, where need frustration relates to schematic processing of social information to predict unique variance on controlled career decisions, low well-being and ill-being. Schematic processing of social information explained unique variance in ill-being over and above need satisfaction and need frustration. Overall, the findings support the cognitive-motivational determination of career decision making.

KEYWORDS:

• Self-determination theory
• schema theory
• need satisfaction
• need frustration
• high school
• regulation of career decisions

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Pedro Cordeiro

Pedro Miguel Cordeiro, PhD, an educational psychologist, is a Visiting Professor at the University of Coimbra, Portugal. He also holds the position of Adjunct Professor of Education and Culture at the City Council of Leiria.

Paula Paixão

Maria Paula Paixão, PhD, is an Associate Professor and currently serves as Dean of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences and as a member of the psychology doctoral coordination commission at the University of Coimbra, Portugal. She has a PhD in career counselling. She has several national and international publications on the topics of counselling psychology, lifelong guidance and counselling, and motivation and time perspective.

Daniel Rijo

Daniel Maria Rijo, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the University of Coimbra, Portugal. He teaches clinical and forensic psychology and coordinates the Cognitive and Behavioural Processes and Change Research Group at the Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive Behavioural Intervention. He has published more than 80 papers in specialised journals, 19 book chapters and five books.