My Vocational Situation, Career Decision Scale, and California Psychological Inventory (CPI) were completed by 149 students. Factor analysis reduced 20 CPI scales to Extraversion, Control, Flexibility, and Consensuality. Consensuality significantly distinguished high and low career indecision. Extraversion and Control had low to moderate…

Of 254 university library employees, 58 identified themselves as members of underrepresented groups, although 15% were in groups not traditionally considered underrepresented. This self-categorization was associated with lower job satisfaction, poorer perception of organizational climate, and more negative reactions to diversity issues. (SK)

Career recommendations were made based on aptitude scores of 335 high school freshmen. Artificial neural networks were used to map recommendations to 12 occupational clusters. Overall accuracy of neural networks (.80) approached that of discriminant function analysis (.84). The two methods had different strengths and weaknesses. (SK)

Strong Interest Inventory items from 320 counseling clients were classified into Occupational Aptitude Patterns (OAP) Map clusters. Principal components analysis supported this structure, suggesting the potential use of the OAP Map for job classification and improvement of person/environment fit. (SK)

Holland pioneered the theory of vocational personality and work environments, revolutionizing delivery of career assistance. His research has been central to development of knowledge about nonacademic accomplishments. He has influenced both researchers and psychologists. (163 references) (SK)

The literature provides evidence of links between measures of personality and vocational interests as theorized by Holland. Personality and interest assessments offer critical information for predicting career success. Personality assessment reflects the individual viewed by an observer and interest measurement reflects the individual's…

Holland's theory provides a means of describing both people and environments. He has developed techniques for assessing and classifying different vocational instruments. His newest measure, the Position Classification Inventory, should stimulate new research in vocational psychology. (49 references) (Author/SK)

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Career Exploration Program and the Department of Labor's O*NET (Occupational Information Network) are used to demonstrate the influence of Holland's hexagonal model on career information systems. Results reveal the near-universal acceptance of Holland's taxonomy and the technical challenges of linking…

Holland's model of vocational interests influenced development of the Strong Campbell Interest Inventory (SCII), Strong Interest Inventory, and Campbell Interest and Skill Survey. His theory led Campbell to make the following changes in the SCII: two kinds of content scales, reorganization using the hexagonal system, and merged inventories for men…

Career assessment activities in the Self-Directed Search and constructs in Holland's theory increase understanding of an individual's personal career theory (PCT). The PCT provides information about a person's readiness for career decision making and the types of career interventions that might be effective. (Author/SK)

Five key qualities contribute to the utility of Holland's theory of career development: simplicity, face validity, organizational framework, vocabulary, and translation to practice. It has spurred development of numerous effective career interventions such as the Self-Directed Search, American College Testing Interest Inventory, and My Vocational…

Contributions of Holland's theory to industrial/organizational psychology include the following: (1) person-environment congruence, a major influence in organizational behavior; (2) the notion that individuals should be self-directed participants in career exploration and the use of occupational information; and (3) use of vocational interest…

Most tests of congruence in Holland's theory are flawed because they are cross-sectional, use samples of persons already in congruent environments, classify environment casually, fail to relate congruence to relevant aspects of work environments, and have not assessed environment accurately. The centrality of congruence makes the improvement of…

Reviews the history of career decision-making measures such as My Vocational Situation, Career Decision Scale, Career Factors Inventory, and others. Assesses Holland's contribution to the accurate measurement of career indecision. (SK)

A study of 487 healthcare workers found that negative affectivity was associated with low social support and job satisfaction, high emotional exhaustion, increased workload, and depersonalization. Positive affectivity correlated with autonomy and lower absenteeism. Affectivity had stronger effects on burnout than did organizational stress factors.…