earlier. The cognitive information processing (CIP) paradigm con-
cerns the actual thought and memory processes involved in solving
career problems and making career decisions. In the CIP paradigm
we ask, “What can we do as career counselors to enable individuals
to acquire self-knowledge, occupational knowledge, and career
problem-solving and decision-making skills to become effective and
responsible career problem solvers and decision makers?” The par-
adigm described next seeks to address this question.
Psychological theories may be thought of as comprising four fun-
damental attributes: (1) definitions, (2) assumptions and proposi-
tions, (3) operations, and (4) implications for practice and research
(Hall & Lindzey, 1978). Definitions, assumptions, and operations on
which the CIP model is based follow; implications for practice are
presented in two case studies.
Definitions
The following definitions are central to the CIP paradigm, which
may be visualized as ever-broadening concentric circles from the
smallest inner circle (a career problem) to the problem space, to
career problem solving, to career decision making, to career devel-
opment, to the largest encompassing outer circle (lifestyle), with
each succeeding concept encompassing the previous concept.
Career problem: agapbetween an existing state of in-
decision and a more desired state. The gap creates a
cognitive dissonance (Festinger, 1964) that becomes
the primary motivational source driving the problem-
solving process. As career counselors, we hope to help
clients progress along a continuum from a state of
career indecision, which may entail confusion, anxiety,
depression, and an external locus of control toward a
more orderly state with attributes such as integration, the
ability to plan, hope, self-confidence, and an internal
locus of control.A COGNITIVE INFORMATION PROCESSING APPROACH 315