Summary. According to SCCT’s interest model, interests are a joint
function of self-efficacy beliefs and outcome expectations; people
express interest in certain career and academic pursuits if they think
they can perform well in them and if, at the same time, they think that
pursuing these careers will lead to outcomes they desire. Aptitudes
and past experiences are related to interests primarily through their
impact on persons’ developing self-efficacy beliefs and outcome
expectations. In other words, having positive experiences in career-
related activities and the aptitude to do well in specific careers
makes it more likely that people will develop robust efficacy expec-
tations and positive outcomes for these career pursuits. In addition,
the model implies that people are unlikely to develop interests in
career and academic pursuits for which they are otherwise well-
suited if they are not exposed to compelling learning opportunities
that promote ability-congruent efficacy beliefs and positive out-
come expectations. Thus, for example, women, members of racial-
ethnic minority groups, and persons living in poverty may fail to
develop interests in particular career options because they may not
have been exposed to opportunities and experiences that would
lead them to feel efficacious about their abilities to pursue these
careers or optimistic about the outcomes they might receive.
Choice Model
SCCT’s conception of the career choice process, embedded in Fig-
ure 7.2, highlights the diverse person, contextual, and learning in-
fluences on choice behavior. It should be noted that Figure 7.2
incorporates the basic interest development model shown earlier,
though the goal and action variables now specifically represent
career-related goals and the actions required to implement them.
The relationship of these two models reflects the developmental
continuity between the evolution of basic vocational interests and
their eventual translation into career-relevant choices.
Conceptually, the choice process can be divided into three parts:
272 CAREER CHOICE AND DEVELOPMENT