through this volume will undoubtedly be enriched and, I hope, made
more meaningful.
Linda Brooks and I started this project in 1982, and I owe her a
debt of gratitude that I will never be able to repay. Her own career
development has taken her into retirement. I also owe a debt of
gratitude to the many authors who have given of their time and tal-
ent to make the four editions possible. Our original vision was to
prompt theorists to review their work from time to time and to
prompt theory revision and development. We accomplished the
first goal, but it is impossible to tell whether this book stimulated
any of the new theories that have emerged since the publication of
the edition in 1984, with one exception. My work with the authors
of the first three editions prompted me to put down my own beliefs
about occupational choice. I hope others will be prompted to take
a similar path.
Chapel Hill, North Carolina Duane Brown
May 2002
PREFACE XIII