The Relation of Career Indecision to Personality Dimensions of the California Psychological Inventory.

Abstract This study examined the relationship between career indecision and personality dimensions represented on the California Psychological Inventory (CPI), using high and low career indecision groups. The 20 scales of the CPI were factor analyzed, yielding four factors: Extraversion, Control, Flexibility, and Consensuality. Establishing cutoff scores on the Career Decision Scale and My Vocational Situation, high and low indecision groups were created. Factor scores were computed for participants, and a MANOVA was performed with the career groups representing two levels of the independent variable with the four factor scores serving as the depending variables. The high and low indecision groups were found to differ significantly on a linear combination of the CPI factor scores. The profiles of the two indecision groups were also compared using mean T scores for the 20 CPI scales. There was a clear tendency for the low indecision group to score higher on CPI dimensions, significantly so on 12 of 20 scales.