Cognitive Integration and Differentiation in Vocational Behavior

Abstract

For nearly a quarter of a century, researchers have been concerned with the relationship between cognitive schemas and vocational behavior. Within this area, sustained research efforts have followed from Kelly's (1955) personal construct psychology, and this article reviews those efforts. Particular attention is focused on the traditional study of vocational differentiation and integration, as well as more recent efforts to combine these two variables into a structural model of vocational development. Theoretical, empirical, and practical developments of these efforts are reviewed and critiqued. Future directions and implications of this literature are also noted and discussed in relation to Kelly's (1955) original theory.